Hinting at Magic
by Modern Artifact
Summary: 7 yrs after HPDH. Alice McNally, witty Oxford graduate, gets herself into trouble with the Ministry of Magic for writing a book on a hypothetical magical world; an alternate history is revealed via her dreams. Includes Malfoys, Blaise Zabini, & many more!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

A small flat just north of the center of London, a cramped room strewn with printed papers and books, a few brown packing boxes scatter the floor, the light of a laptop screen illuminating the darkness.

"I really should organize this place," Alice thought as her body hit the bed crumpling some notes beneath her. It has been little over a month since she relocated to the city and about two months have passed since she completed her doctorate at Oxford. She was currently in that limbo stage between school and the real world, monetarily surviving off of the rest of her grant money while periodically publishing articles for the _London Times_ and some smaller newspaper venues. Her interdisciplinary degree had given her a lot of options in that arena, although she hoped to find a teaching position soon. But with the economy and cutbacks she knew it would take some time.

Her mind, however, was focused on something considerably less academic, or at least many of her professors would think that. At Oxford, her dissertation focused on aspects of the supernatural in human society, utilizing anthropological and cognitive theory to account for human experiences that couldn't readily or rationally be explained. She first analyzed historical documents of unexplained phenomena, noticing that during early history, causation was leant to demons, angels, and witches, while modern accounts had extraterrestrial underpinnings. Of course, during the Enlightenment, skepticism and science would create more plausible explanations of the world and with them society marched towards what can be called modern civilization. Strange events tinkered off during this time and the world seemed more stable. However, the last 50 years or so had seen considerable stirrings in the world of the unexplained. And less than a decade ago, such peculiar events as the Millennium Bridge collapse in London had made headlines. She postulated that these events were more than the government was letting on, especially since early reports and eyewitness accounts did not match the final and official analysis of what happened. But purporting oddball government conspiracy theories or supernatural causation was analogous to committing academic suicide.

In the academic realm and specifically for her dissertation, she maintained the status quo of contemporary knowledge. Her professors had expected no less from Alice, a prized pupil since she began her education. She possessed peculiar advantages, such as a photographic memory and a devastatingly quick wit allowing her to debate with those very much her senior. Her high IQ should have led her to study science but a strong interest in human society pulled her in a different academic direction. Her head was like a cup that never got full and even now with school finished, when she should be on a recuperating hiatus, her research continued, along with preparation for the release of her first book.

Unlike her dissertation, her book hinted at the possibility of a hidden magical world. She had written it alongside her dissertation, aiming for a more general audience. She was careful to make sure it all sounded hypothetical since real evidence was sorely lacking. The title, which was accepted by the publisher, was _Hinting at Magic: 20__th__ Century Conspiracies and Possible Explanations_. The opening sentence was as follows, "What if the world you know is divided with a world you cannot see, but that world has a profound influence on your world's trajectory. What if in this unseen world, magic is real, witches and wizards wave wands, and dark forces constantly battle against good. This book will attempt to explain unique events in the last century from a magical perspective, to be taken as hypothetical albeit possible explanations if such a divided world existed." The publisher was interested in it as a creative work and she hoped her academic comrades would see it as such. Of course, Alice was never a student to back down from making bold choices with topics. But she also didn't want academic elites thinking her a radical misusing her education to write what they would see as science fiction.

Not quite ready to sleep, her hand reached towards the nearby radiator to collect the tabloid which stood in as a makeshift umbrella on her way home. Bold print accompanied the tagline, "I Was Abducted by Aliens Three Times!" Holding the paper above her face, she hastily flipped its pages glancing from article to article only to stop on page three at the tagline, "Man Seen Vanishing on Charing Cross Road."

She sat up and grabbed her scissors, which lay on the top of a stack of nearby books. "Another vanishing act?" she thought as she added it to a wall of clippings which she organized by groups: Vanishing Persons, Sudden Appearances, Black Apparitions, Quirky Fashion, etc. Without closer inspection one might assume she was investigating a murder. Ever since returning to the city she took on a detective role, swapping book reading for field note taking. She wanted evidence in her perhaps misguided attempt to turn her fiction into non-fiction.

Alice quickly returned to the remaining pages of her tabloid and when finished, added it to the stack of papers in her recycling bin, her face grimacing at the thought of the money she spent on it. At times she didn't know what she was doing; researching unnerving phenomena in phony tabloids. Although for Alice, not all tabloids were created equal. Pulling out the middle drawer of her desk she took out a now heavily soiled, ripped, and crumpled newspaper entitled _The Daily Prophet_. She had found it discarded, lying open on a table in a small coffee shop at a train station she ran into prior to catching a train. It was unlike any paper she had ever seen, a strange mix of news articles, advertisements and commentary. At first she thought it was someone's school project, however, it felt too elaborate, too precise and full of detail, and the Millennium Bridge collapse had been mentioned with the latest death toll that it had to have been printed that very day. What was described in its pages professed a whole other world, a magical world. And in many ways it confirmed things she suspected since childhood, dreams she remembered but never had an answer for.

The night went on and rain continuously splattered on the window. Alice soon fell asleep with her head resting on her crossed arms in front of her laptop screen, which had grown dark from inactivity. Her right hand still clasped the precious newspaper below while her mind dreamt of an alternate reality.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

Monday morning, the Ministry of Magic buzzed with activity. In the main atrium, wizards and witches scurried from here to there, their robed forms occasionally illuminated by bright green flashes coming from the marble fireplaces that lined the walls. Violet-purple paper planes containing interdepartmental memos were already flying to their destination.

A young man with striking blonde hair walked with confidence through the lobby, his tall form, draped in black robes, seemed to demand attention and many subconsciously moved out of his way as he went by. Draco Malfoy had recently started a research project in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes to gain access to files on past incidents of failed potions. He hoped to assess the potential for recombination of mixtures to create rare magic and cures for magical ailments.

Since the war, Draco spent time in and out of the public eye. After a year of recuperation with family, he returned to Hogwarts in order to prepare for the N.E.W.T.S., which he had missed. During this time he came under the tutelage of Horace Slughorn, who remains the potions master till this day. He took kindly to Draco, whose newfound focus on scholastic achievement was admirable and proved trustworthy. Like Professor Snape, Professor Slughorn realized Draco's potential in the field of potions mastery and they quickly formed a teacher/apprentice relationship. In the coming years, the two ventured on joint research projects and published their results in articles that were well received in the wizarding world's academic realm. Slowly, Draco would mend his credibility, although he knew his Death Eater past could never be fully erased. And unexpectedly, his self-esteem would be mended by his relationship with Slughorn, who, unlike his own father, provided constructed criticism and unhitched encouragement in his studies.

As he made his way to level three of the Ministry, Draco scoffed at the heightened activity of the workers. It reminded him of why he preferred the solitary and quiet activity of potions research to the social hubbub of social work. Making his way to his corner cubicle he had to meander through a few brown packing boxes, one of which was open to reveal multiple copies of the same book. He glanced down at the title, _Hinting at Magic: 20__th__ Century Conspiracies and Possible Explanations_.

"A little muggle reading for you this bright Monday morning?" Came the cheery voice of Susie McClellan, the senior assistant of the head Obliviator. She stooped down to take a few copies of the book and offered one to Draco who looked a bit confused as to her meaning. Working in an office that dealt with muggle relations was new to him and while his view of muggles had considerably lightened since the war, he remained ignorant of their happenings.

"We gathered enough of them this weekend and we're not sure what to do with them all," she added, looking at the boxes in amusement. Before Draco could respond, Susie sauntered off with the books she collected.

Making his way to his cubicle, Draco saw a purple airplane lying there waiting to be read.

_Dear Draco,_

_It has been some time and since you're in the offices, how about meeting for lunch today?_

_Blaise Zabini_

_Head of Special Cases Unit_

_Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

Draco quickly wrote a positive response and the paper plane ascended into the air and flew off through the door. Before beginning work he quickly glanced over at the newly printed book lying face down in front of him. A small black and white photo of its author accompanied a descriptive text of the book's contents. The girl's youthful countenance deceived the textual description of her lengthy research credentials. A tagline captured its possible security risk succinctly: "A creative work from one of Oxford's newest and brightest. Take a journey into a hypothetical world where magic exists and we are simply too blind to see it."

Draco quickly deduced why boxes of this book littered the office floor, they must have just stopped it from going into circulation. The Obliviators were also gone, undoubtedly cleaning up the minds of those who had knowledge of its contents. It was all in accordance with the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, which safeguarded as well as divided the wizarding world from the muggle world. Draco glanced again at the picture of the young woman in the photograph; her beautiful face undoubtedly concealing a great mind. He wondered what would become of her, considering whether they had already obliviated her memory. Re-gathering his thoughts, he unlocked his bottom desk drawer and retrieved some classified files, preparing to start where he left off on Friday. He placed the muggle book in his top drawer, still contemplating whether its contents were worthy of an evening read by the fire.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

The morning hours passed quickly and with few insights for his research. The ministry contained thousands of files of magical misuse and even though in the last few weeks Draco had gathered some interesting details, at times he wondered if his research proposition was misguided. Luckily, Professor Slughorn was encouraging and they had already owled notes of his previous findings. He figured there would be days where nothing of interest would be found and this Monday seemed to be one of them.

Gathering his robe, Draco prepared to make his way down to level 2, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where his old schoolmate Blaise Zabini had acquired the position of head of the Special Cases Unit. Blaise was considerably smart in his schooldays, even gaining the attention of Professor Slughorn who invited him to be part of his Slug Club. He had an uncanny ability to figure things out, which is why his ascent as head of the special investigations unit was not surprising.

As Draco passed through various corridors (this department was undoubtedly the largest in the Ministry), he pushed a creaky hinged wooden door that opened up into a large airy space that had closed offices off to each side. Bulletin boards lined the walls, each with photographs of various criminals, some briefly repeated seconds of movement; files and paperwork scattered each desk as remnants of the productivity of that morning. Blaise Zabini was grouped with a few other staff members in front of a bulletin board whose space was not yet full. A face shot of the same muggle girl from the back cover of the confiscated book hung in its corner. Draco immediately noticed the auburn hue of her long, straight hair and heavy fringe, and the creamy paleness of her skin. Next to it were undercover surveillance photos of her activity; one showing a few seconds of her walking down an avenue with her hair pulled back and oversized black sunglasses across her face, another of her looking around suspiciously while leaving a coffee shop.

Draco could overhear Blaise discussing details to the group, "Alice McNally, muggle, age 26, currently residing in the northeast of city center, Oxford graduate, US and British dual citizen…by the end of today we need to know more about her background, family, other relations…And yes," Blaise stopped briefly, glancing at the team member whose eyebrow raised when he mentioned the word muggle, "We don't normally deal with muggles, but this investigation was given to us from the top. Do what needs to be done." With that, those around Blaise quickly dispersed as he continued to survey the photographs of the young woman.

Sensing Draco's presence or perhaps realizing the time, Blaise turned around to greet his old friend, the two men shook each other's hands strongly and with meaning.

"Investigating muggles now, eh? Moving up in the world?" Draco said, maintaining the snarky tone they often took with each other.

"Only the unusual ones," Blaise smirked, glad to see his friend hadn't changed.

"Unusual indeed. Quite a lot of work going on for one book," Draco remarked, wondering whether Blaise would divulge any more information.

"So you've seen the book?" Blaise questioned.

"Level 3 is filled with boxes of it," Draco waited for Blaise's reply.

"Yes...it may not seem like much but the book is eerily accurate, some believed it had the possibility of undermining muggle/magic relations."

Draco hid his astonishment and decided that perhaps the book did warrant spending the night reading in front of the fireplace after all.

Blaise continued, "And its author, this Alice McNally, something is off about her…" Blaise trailed off, still contemplating the subject.

"Lucky you," Draco interjected, sensing some uncomfortable tension with discussing an issue not yet solved, "How about Gygons for lunch?"

Coming back to reality Blaise concerned face lightened, "Sounds good, you owe me a review of what you and Slughorn have been concocting, people say you're on the verge a major potions breakthrough."

Draco laughed and the two tall men, each robed in black and with an aura that protruded royalty, headed to the main lobby where they along with multitudes of other witches and wizards, would take the Floo Network to Diagon Alley for lunch.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

As the bright sun began pouring through her window, Alice awoke face down on her desk, her neck feeling sore from the awkward position. "I've got to stop doing that," she thought admonishingly, rubbing her shoulder with one hand. Tapping the mouse, her laptop screen flicked back to life and she immediately went to her email inbox.

Clicking to open a new message from Thomas Mylton Jr., her agent at Mylton & Sons Publishing Company, she smiled at its contents.

_Dear Dr. McNally,_

_Good news, your book, Hinting at Magic: 20__th__ Century Conspiracies and Possible Explanations, has successfully made it through the printing stage and should be on fine bookstore shelves everywhere in London by next week. _

_If possible, please call me right after my early lunch hour (12:30 pm) to discuss the closing details of our pleasant transaction._

_Cheers,_

_Thomas Mylton Jr._

_Senior Editor, Mylton & Sons Publishing Co_.

"Finally," she thought, a wave of accomplishment went over her. It had been a long process of finding and then dealing with a publisher, and more specifically a non-academic one.

Shutting down her laptop, she sat up straight and started to breathe in and exhale slowly, clearing her mind before pursuing the day ahead. Meditating had become a daily ritual since high school. She often felt a need to clear her mind as a precaution, although not a medically proven one, to prevent her from becoming like her mother, who fell mentally ill when Alice was a child. Her mom had an overactive imagination and began seeing impossible things later in life. Doctors first diagnosed her with anxiety disorder and gave her anti-depressants. Unfortunately, what she saw didn't stop. Alice was only seven when she found her mother lying unconscious in the bathroom, having overdosed on medication. Unfortunately, the doctors were unable to revive her. Alice was in shock for some time and had stopped speaking for the better part of a year. Her father took the loss of his beloved wife hard and found it difficult to stay in London where he was reminded constantly of her. He uprooted them both to the United States, transferring to the Los Angeles office of the financial firm he worked for, and they started a completely new life. He would later remarry and have two children. Alice would earn her undergraduate degree at Berkeley and complete her doctorate at Oxford.

Thoughts of relocating to Britain weighed heavily on Alice's mind during her teenage years. Every time her father and the family took a trip to London to visit relatives, she would have vivid dreams that verged on reality. They always involved an older man with kind blue eyes and a long white beard. Their meetings took place in great libraries and lecture halls where they would discuss life and loss, regrets and triumphs. He listened to her and gave encouragement, teaching her a new way to intellectually approach the world. Alice felt it was him who encouraged her to question reality and believe in her convictions. It was also after their first meeting that she started to speak again. While Alice never knew his true name she knew he was her grandfather on her mother's side. Her mother once told her that she never knew her father, that he was only known to her mother but one night. Was this only Alice's imagination of what her grandfather was like? During the dreams she never asked him directly, perhaps afraid of the answer; afraid that she was losing her mind like her mother had before she died. While this worried her, she still gladly welcomed the dreams and eagerly awaited her next visit to London so she could tell her grandfather of the previous year's happenings. The dreams stopped, however, the last summer before she started Berkeley. She somehow knew it would be their last meeting; she could sense it in his parting words.

After moments of meditating, she felt calm and refreshed. Alice proceeded to get ready for a day out; the sunshine was inviting, especially after a nasty spell of rain. Pulling her hair into a clip, she packed her bag with her mini netbook computer and a book entitled, _How the Mind Works_, which she recently purchased. She unconsciously grabbed her prized possession, the seven year old _Daily Prophet_ newspaper, along with some cut-out tabloid articles, placing them securely between the pages of her book in her bag. Putting on a pair of oversized black sunglasses, she prepared to make her way to Charing Cross Road. According to tabloid articles, unusual activity had taken place there more than a few times.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

Draco and Blaise sat in the corner of a curry shop that sat along Diagon Alley. The place was busy, experiencing the Ministry's lunch crowd. The two men looked like they were enjoying each other's company, since it had been a long time since they last conversed.

"Is Slughorn still privileging students with that club of his?" Blaise mocked, remembering the exclusive perks of being in the Slug Club.

"Of course he is, I remember you use to rub that one in," Draco laughed as he thought back to his sixth year, mentally skipping over the bad memories for the few good he could establish during that time. Luckily, his later experiences at Hogwarts had improved drastically due to his mentorship by Professor Slughorn, as well as his distance from Harry Potter. After Draco successfully completed his N.E.W.T.S., he continually returned to the Hogwarts to conduct experiments in the lab and go over research with Slughorn. He bided his time at Malfoy Manor avoiding overt confrontation with his parents who had slowly learned to be less demanding of their son. As long as he was happy, they remained content with his decision to research potions. His father, Lucius, was secretly proud that his son had gained a name as an expert potioneer, and was thankful his mistakes didn't ruin his son's chances for a respectable career.

The Slytherin brothers discussed work for the majority of their lunch hour, realizing they had little to say about their current social lives. Each had been too consumed in their jobs to maintain stable relationships over the years, but they both vowed to remedy that in that next decade.

The lunch crowd in the restaurant began to die down and the street of Diagon Alley began to fill up again with the hustle and bustle of magical patrons as they exited restaurants and prepared to return to work. Only a skip away, however, was the muggle world, unaware of its counterpart but engaging in the same hustle and bustle activity of the lunch hour.

* * *

After leaving her flat, Alice had decided to take a casual morning stroll, stopping at a nearby park for an hour or so to read before heading towards Charing Cross Road to investigate. She figured the lunch hour was the best time to people watch so the detour allowed her to relax and gain some much needed fresh air. She took a bus that let off along Tottenham Court Road and she expected to find Charing Cross Road up ahead. When she found the street, she was at first surprised that it seemed a little run down, but on closer inspection the quaint shops and restaurants lining each side had a unique charm which she could only describe as being Londonesque. For a moment, she remembered shopping on similar streets with her mother when she was a child, before the mental breakdown occurred. Alice smiled as she entered the street on the right side, feeling a good vibe from the memory.

The sun seemed to hide behind the buildings slightly, making the street darker than its predecessor, as if clouds had suddenly rolled into the clear sky. Alice reached into her bag to pull out the many article clippings she brought along scanning them for details. One picture showed the supposed location of a strange bat-like creature, which was cartooned in by the editing staff. It was spotted lounging on a stately tree with a unique knob protruding from its side. The tree was in front of two shops, a record store and one that looked apparently abandoned. She decided to look for both the shops and the tree to start. The lunch hour was starting to begin and Alice was forced to move along with the crowd, her eyes beneath her sunglasses constantly scanning both sides of the street for a match. About halfway up she spotted the record shop on the other side of the road and sure enough that was the tree. Peddling back to the crosswalk, she proceeded across looking intently at the abandoned shop's front. Something about it seemed odd. She noticed several people entering its door; one of them was wearing a unique set of garments, a long robe of sorts. Alice stopped and continued to observe before going any closer. There was no sign on the store front, and from its condition it looked as if it had been abandoned for decades. "Curious," she thought. Soon, another pedestrian entered the store front which then prompted her to do the same.

Upon opening the old door she gazed in upon a cottage style pub with large wooden tables in the center, on the sooty walls were framed photographs and paintings, large iron chandeliers with candles hung overhead. It reminded her of pubs in the English countryside which hadn't changed for hundreds of year. It even had that familiar smell of smoke and alcohol mixed with that of beef stew and freshly baked bread. The lighting was dim and Alice quickly slid her sunglasses on top of her head before stepping inside. The noise suddenly grew quiet as she appeared; several customers looked her way only to again return to conversation shortly after. Several continued to monitor her movement through the room. She found a small table to sit at not too far from the entrance and slowly pulled out her netbook and mobile phone from her bag.

Near the kitchen entrance Hannah Longbottom witnessed the whole scene. Her husband Neville was sitting at a nearby table reading that morning's _The Daily Prophet_, completely unaware.

"Psss," Hannah whispered anxiously, tapping her husband on the arm, "a muggle just came in."

Her husband slowly lowered the paper and gazed towards the woman at the table. "Well, see if she wants something to eat," he whispered back, not terribly concerned about it. He figured she was probably a squib or the Muggle-Repelling Charm would have worked.

Hannah apprehensively went over to where Alice was sitting, "May I get you anything?" she said with a feigned smile.

"A cup of coffee, please," Alice said with a noticeable Americanized accent. Hannah nodded silently. "You wouldn't happen to have internet connection?" she questioned, suddenly noticing the blonde woman looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Sorry, no we don't," Hannah replied quickly and then left to retrieve the coffee.

Her husband, who continued to read his newspaper, turned in the direction of his wife and whispered, "See, that wasn't so hard." It wasn't long before Hannah had placed a cup of coffee in front of Alice and made her way back to the kitchen, glad the encounter was over.

Alice put her netbook back in her bag, leaving her mobile phone out to check the time. "12:40." She remembered Mr. Mylton Jr. took early lunches so it was a good time to call him to confirm everything was set in accordance with his email. Her book had finished its first print and would presumably be shipped to local bookstores and online venues this week. Taking a sip of her bitter coffee, Alice searched for Mr. Mylton Jr.'s contact number on her phone and leaned her face towards the wall to help blanket the noise. The pub customers had grown a little louder since she sat down, but it would probably be easier calling in there than outside on a busy street, she thought.

"Mylton and Sons Publishing Company, this is Thomas Mylton Jr. How may I help you?" Chimed a pleasant older man's voice on the other end.

"Hello Mr. Mylton Jr., this is Alice McNally, thank you for your email. I'm extremely excited to hear that the book passed printing stage, I was wondering…"

"I'm sorry, who is this again?" Asked Mr. Mylton Jr. cutting Alice off.

"Alice McNally sir…from Oxford." Alice said, wondering if the pub was too noisy after all.

"McNally? I've never done business with a McNally, are you sure you have the right number dear?" He said, not breaking his pleasant demeanor.

"Yes, I've been working with you for several months on publishing my book, _Hinting at Magic_…" Now Alice was feeling a bit worried, she removed the phone from her ear to double check that the number she dialed was indeed Mylton's.

"Ma'am, I apologize but I do believe you're mistaken. All the best to you! Cheers!" He hung up the phone.

Alice sat listening to the sudden silence from her phone before the noise in the pub brought her back to reality. Slipping her phone back into her bag she slowly looked around at the characters in the room. A trio of old disheveled women sat at a booth in the corner drinking sherry and quietly conversing. Every now and then their beady eyes would shift her way. A few large and dangerous looking fellows at the bar began conversing louder, and she was unsure if there would be a fight. Suddenly, this place didn't seem safe at all.

The phone call and this sudden awareness of her safety had upset her stomach. She decided to add sugar to the coffee to take away its bite. While swirling her spoon in the dark liquid, her eyes spotted some paper which she had placed her bag on top of when arriving. Cautiously sliding it out from under her bag she realized it was a newspaper but not the _London Times_, it was _The Daily Prophet_. Her eyes went wide but she decided to leave it partially concealed under her bag and take it with her when she left. Trying not to arouse suspicion, she took another sip of coffee and pulled out the book, _How the Mind Works_; opening it to a random page, she pretended to read. She thought, "Just finish your coffee, leave some money, then you can leave..."


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

Full on food and good conversation, Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini headed out of the restaurant to return to the Ministry of Magic when suddenly a grey owl dropped a note into Blaise's hand. A bit angered at being interrupted during his lunch break, Blaise begrudgingly opened it.

_Special Cases Unit Memo_

_Alice McNally spotted at Leaky Cauldron, 12:45 pm. Investigation recommended._

"Mind taking a detour to the Leaky Cauldron?" Blaise asked Draco, thinking every situation, even one regarding a muggle female, required appropriate backup.

"Why not?" Draco said, thinking any detour would be preferable to going directly back to those files from the morning.

The two men walked down the uneven cobbled road before standing in front a heavily soiled brick wall. With a counter-clockwise tapping of Blaise's wand, the wall disassembled, opening up to a courtyard and the back entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. They entered slowly, heading down a dark hallway.

"This place still smells like a pigpen," Draco remarked and Blaise gave a slight heckle of agreement as they entered the main bar. Making their way over to the kitchen, Neville Longbottom quickly got up from his chair to greet them and Hannah swayed over to the kitchen door to listen.

On the other side of the room, Alice had finished the last of her coffee and placed what she thought would be enough change to cover her tab. She suddenly grew aware of the presence of two clean cut though menacing looking men who had entered the pub from the back. They were both impeccably dressed in black garments, looking even more out of place than her. They had made their way over to what she presumed were the pub's owners, the man reading the newspaper and the lady who served her coffee. Suddenly, the group's eyes shifted in her direction and before she knew it her body had risen from her chair, and with one fluid motion she pulled her sunglasses over her eyes and collected her book and the hidden newspaper into her bag, all while her feet raced her out the door.

Neville had immediately assumed Blaise's presence was due to their muggle customer, but he was surprised to see Malfoy there are well. "She came about 10 minutes ago, ordered coffee and has been sitting there since," Neville quietly said, alerting them to her whereabouts by a quick glance to the front of the pub. He was unsure what risk she could be though. As soon as the group looked over towards the small table they noticed a woman in sunglasses gathering her things and quickly heading for the door. Blaise and Draco both immediately ran through the pub, swiftly maneuvering through chairs and customers to the exit; only to catch a glimpse of the young woman running her way towards Tottenham Court Road.

Alice ran furiously, wishing she hadn't worn her heels that day. Turning right at the end of the street she prayed for a bus to be there and sure enough one had just stopped at the bus stop about 10 meters ahead. She leapt through the bus's entrance and quickly swung around the stairway pole to sit in the front seat, watching as the bus door closed shut. It was as if she was suddenly allowed to breathe again. She peered out of the side window to see the two men returning her gaze. She realized they were around her age.

Blaise and Draco stood at the end of Charing Cross Road watching the double-decker bus roll by, their muggle safely in the front seat staring back at them. They quickly turned around and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron not saying a word. Once there, Blaise nodded to Neville Longbottom and walked to the back courtyard intent on returning to the Daigon Alley Floo Network access point. Draco followed closely behind, ignoring the Longbottoms all together.

Approaching the stone gate, Blaise taped his wand counter-clockwise and waited for the fence to provide entrance. He was obviously in deep thought.

"So what do you expect she's up to?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, she obviously knows about the magical world, the question is her intentions and whether she's acting alone in her knowledge. Typically this would be a task for the department you're currently researching in," Blaise said, referring to the Obliviator's job of smoothing over muggle run-ins with magic. "But we're thinking she knows someone on the inside."

While many muggles knew of the magical world due to marriage or having a relative or child with wizarding abilities, they were urged to keep things quiet and often monitored in case any damaging knowledge leaked. History had proved it safer to keep the two worlds separate and the Ministry of Magic worked to ensure it. While information occasionally made its way into local newspapers, no muggle had gone as far as publishing a book on the subject. Not to mention one with such blaring accuracy as Alice McNally. Furthermore, she had no clearance with the Ministry of Magic, no known magical relations in Britain or the United States, thus making her knowledge of the wizarding world suspect and worrisome.

Draco and Blaise returned to the Ministry of Magic and headed their separate ways, each wondering how these unusual events would unfold.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

As her breathing returned to normal, Alice slumped slightly in order to rest her head on the seat's upper cushion, her mind piecing together the events of that morning: the shabby pub with the deceiving entrance, her publisher forgetting who she was, and the two men chasing her. She suddenly remembered the newspaper she took from the pub table, _The Daily Prophet_. Having a second edition only confirmed to Alice that it is indeed a real newspaper and not someone's school project. She had noticed many people in the pub were reading it, including the man she assumed was the owner. "Were they aware of this magical world too?" she thought. Glancing through the odd articles on "Ministry" activities and a section on presumably a sport called "Quiditch," she arrived at a small article in the Wizarding Science section entitled, "Slughorn and Malfoy On the Verge of New Cures for Magical Maladies." The picture was of an elderly, jolly looking gentlemen standing next to one of the men who followed her from the pub; the one with blonde hair and pale skin.

Without another thought she pulled out the old tattered newspaper from her bag, its age and ware more noticeable when next to the new edition. She quickly flipped open to a second page. There the same man stood, then a teenager, with his mother and the tagline, "Fallen from Grace: Malfoy's Wife and Son Leave Trial."

During the 20 minute bus ride home, she reread both articles and a majority of the new newspaper. Reading with knowledge of its authenticity was exhilarating for Alice, she felt privately vindicated and ready to let go of all her reservations about the hypothetic magical world she had conjured; this evidence allowed her to accept it as truth. But this moment of intellectual revelation came to a screeching halt along with the bus that had opened its door to her destination. Leaving the confines of the double-decker made Alice eerily aware that she was alone and vulnerable.

Her feet moved fast as she made her way to her small flat on the third floor. She fumbled with her key slightly before unlatching the door's two locks and entering. Light was still pouring in through the window but immediately Alice could tell that something was awry. The wall's cork board had been stripped bare of its clippings; a few books had been removed from her shelf, and it was obvious her drawers had been rummaged through. Looking at her desk she gasped when she saw that her laptop was nowhere to be found. It was as if someone had ripped her very soul from her body. She could have written an essay on the emotional connection of the body to technology that very moment but remembered her memory stick and netbook were still in her bag. "It's okay, I have duplicates of everything," she thought, clutching her bag to her chest. Her writing seemed to be her most valued treasure.

Her legs suddenly grew weak and she sunk to the ground. Her bed's side frame became a momentary back rest and she stretched her legs forward so she could kick off each heel. Still clutching her bag but crossing her legs closer to her body, Alice slowly breathed in and exhaled, clearing her mind of the uncertainty of the day.

A few minutes passed and Alice arose posed and determined. She retrieved her portable netbook from her bag and set it up on her desk. She was prepared to write down exactly what happened today along with the implications of this reality on her life as well as the worlds. Before typing anything she realized that the two locks on her door and window were hinged before she entered. The person who broke in either had a key or…or they got in some other way. Prepared to overlook this momentarily, she quickly got to work, her fingers hardly able to keep pace with her brain.

* * *

The Special Cases Unit had indeed raided Alice McNally's small London flat to obtain not only questionable items that could have given her knowledge of the wizarding world, but also any information that could help convey her real identity. It had been suspected that she had wizarding relations who leaked all the information to her. If so, it was necessary to find out who they were and what their intentions were before dealing exclusively with the muggle. It had been ages since the Department of Magical Law Enforcement worked closely with the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. It would certainly test the Ministry's ability to handle interdepartmental issues, while putting a lot of pressure on the heads of the Special Cases Unit and the Obliviato's Office.

After plowing through 30 years worth of classified files of potion related illnesses, Draco had decided to call it a day. While packing up he overheard his fellow office workers conversing excitedly over a box of muggle technology, which an office assistant from the Special Cases Unit just recently brought up from downstairs. A presumably muggle-born witch began mocking her fellow coworkers due to the fact that they've never seen a laptop before. Lifting one flat surface from another, she pushed one of the many small buttons lining the bottom board. The screen flashed and slowly revealed a bright blue screen demanding a password.

"Password eh?" The wizard next to her spat, reaching for his wand.

"Hey! Not that type of password!" The muggle-born witch intervened, her hand quick to lower his wand. "A typed password…The possibilities could be endless," she already sounded defeated.

"And who says muggles don't have magic?" Another witch nearby remarked. They all seemed to agree.

Draco had rightly assumed the items belonged to the muggle book writer. The Special Cases Unit must have raided her flat earlier in the day and retrieved the laptop. He suddenly thought of her on that bus, presumably heading home to a now invaded space. He grabbed her book from his top desk drawer and placed it inside his black robe. Upon leaving the office, he nodded to the other staff who had forgotten about his presence due to the day's commotion.

At Malfoy Manor, Nacissa Malfoy calmly sat in a large armchair, her silvery blonde hair and pale face illuminated by the light of the fireplace. It was newly springtime and the night air was still cool. While sipping on a freshly brewed cup of tea she welcomed the comforting warmth the liquid provided. In her one hand was today's edition of _The Daily Prophet_. She was lingering on the article in the Wizarding Science section and waiting for her son to return home.

Draco returned shortly after, entering the large living room where his mother sat.

"Good evening, mother." He said, moving to sit in the chair opposite of her.

"When were you going to tell us about this article?" She asked, turning the paper towards her son.

"Oh that. Professor Slughorn was the one who contacted the paper, you know he is friends with the editor," He said unsure of her reaction.

"No, I do not mean the presence of the article but the nature of your research. It's…commendable." She said, extremely impressed that her son was interested in helping people versus harming them.

Before Draco could reply, the oversized doors swung open and his father, Lucius walked in, followed by a large Irish wolf hound. Dressed in his hunting gear, he proceeded to pour himself some tonic from the nearby wet bar.

"Your son is commendable, Lucius," Nacissa chimed, perhaps unconsciously belittling her husband.

"Yes, well, perhaps it will help find him a wife." Lucius responded dryly, as if Draco wasn't in the room.

Draco shifted in his chair and the room went silent. Nacissa felt the tension and responded with a soft smile towards Draco, "He is still young and opportunities will come his way." Narcissa did not want a repeat of the argument they had when Lucius brought up the idea of arranged marriage.

Dinner would not be for another hour. Draco excused himself and proceeded upstairs to the library. He would have stayed near the fire but he was unsure of his parent's reaction to him reading a muggle book. Before opening to the first page he glanced again at the back cover and the picture of the smiling young woman he saw today. Slightly aware of his odd infatuation he quickly opened the book and began to read.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just frolicking in the world of HP.

* * *

It started getting dark outside and Alice continued to type away. As her mini netbook slowly overheated, its tiny fan failing and sputtering, she cursed at the fact that they stole her laptop. Connecting her printer, which luckily was left on her desk, she printed out one of the small articles she wrote.

_Knowledge is power, is it not? Otherwise, my knowledge of your world would not be a threat to your security. What is the reason you keep those of us not blessed or cursed with magical abilities in the dark? Is it for our safety or yours? There is one world with two distinct realities. Your reality professes an ideology of domination over the other, controlling knowledge of magic and tampering with the brains of non-magical people as your see fit. We are but cattle, made to pass through the filter of your world view. Is it a courtesy providing us such ignorance of your dubious machinations? Or do you provide yourself that same courtesy? The non-magical human race has evolved, through science and reason. We have cured disease, put a man on the moon, mapped the entire human genome, cloned an animal. Alternatively, we have also harnessed the devastating power of the atom and created viruses capable of eradicating life on this planet. And while you have the ability to erase memories, we know exactly which part of the brain conducts this task and have the medical capabilities to eradicate it as well. Media has the peculiar ability to shed light on societal bias and yours, from my scant samples, shows little positives for "muggles," as you call us. We are backward, filthy, and ignorant. But consider for a moment that it is you who are ignorant of our world. One world, two realities, but an entire lack of mutual respect. Take my knowledge, but do not take my dignity!_

_Alice McNally_

"Strident!" Alice mused; it has been awhile since her emotions took hold of her writing. She stared at the freshly printed commentary and then searched for her recently acquired edition of _The Daily Prophet_. There was an open comments section on the back page and she wondered how one sends in such commentary. Scanning the page she found a small note on the bottom: _Owl all questions and comments to The Daily Prophet Main Office. _"Owl? What do they mean by owl?" she thought.

She had already folded her paper and placed it in a crisp white envelope, writing "The Daily Prophet Main Office" on the outside. She opened an internet search engine; though she knew it would be a pointless task. Suddenly, she heard a tap on her window making her heart skip a beat. She turned quickly and her eyes met a brown owl sitting on the outside windowsill's edge. It tapped again. "Owl!" Her mind clicked, grabbing the letter; she proceeded to unlock the latch and open the window. The cool spring breeze hit her face as she slowly and cautiously outstretched the letter in her hand, it was as if she was feeding a whole chicken to an alligator. The brown owl's horned beak snatched it, his feet hobbled around and with a quick flap of wings, it had taken off, letter still in tow.

Alice watched in amazement and accomplishment. If they were to eradicate her memory, as they had done to her publisher, Mr. Mylton Jr., she would at least have had her say about their despicable practices.

Turning around from the window she found her overnight travelling bag, unzipped it and started to fill it with a few clothes and other necessities. At the same time, she had acquired her mobile phone from her bag and dialed her aunt and uncle's number.

"Aunt Marla? Hi, it's Alice… They are fumigating the apartment tonight and I was wondering if I could stay there? I apologize for the late notice but I only just found the memo." Her father's brother and his wife lived just outside the city and were always happy to have Alice as a guest. They were without children and were fond of spoiling their nieces and nephews when they had the chance. Alice figured it was wiser to go there for the night; at the very least she may be able to get some sleep.

Opening the top drawer of her desk she pulled out a small black aerosol can of pepper spray, which her father coerced her into buying the moment she mentioned she would be moving to London. She had not given it much thought until today and suddenly saw its utility. With everything packed and her netbook safely stowed in her bag, she left her small flat to go to the train station.

The brown owl quickly flapped its way to Diagon Alley and to the main office of _The Daily Prophet_. The editor, Barnabas Cuffe, lounged in a large red leather chair at his desk with a cup of tea in his hand. A magical quill furiously dictating notes above him, as he leisurely laid out the main article for tomorrow's morning edition: _Magic Mushrooms Abound Due to Recent Increase in Rain_. He casually sipped his tea in between his carefully composed sentences.

A young office assistant came in with a bleached white envelope. "Sir," he said, trying not to be too disruptive, "We've received an odd letter."

The quill immediately stopped its motion and slowly nestled itself on Cuffe's desk. The distinguished editor peered through his half spectacles at the boy.

"Well, bring it here boy," He said haughtily, motioning with his hand.

The boy apprehensively gave Cuffe the letter, knowing very well it came from a muggle. The envelope and typed print gave it away. Cuffe was amused at the novelty of it, a muggle sending a letter to _The Daily Prophet?_ Outrageous! Glancing over the text he was suddenly taken aback by its shrillness and sweeping attack on the wizarding world. It was written with purpose, but what purpose?

"Boy, get me Barkley and Eisenhorn in here immediately, we have new story for the morning edition." His orders made the boy spring to life. It has been a few weeks since _The Daily Prophet_ meddled in the internal business of the Minstry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement and such leaks sold papers. He was determined to make this letter into an even odder story. He could smell scandal brewing. Two of his best journalists walked through the door, their eyes hungry for some unique news to gather. Before the long night started, one thing was certain, the main story on magic mushroom growth would be bumped to page 8, in the weather section.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer:_ Own nothing, just enjoying a jaunt around J.K. Rowling's world.

A/N: I promise some Alice/Draco interaction soon!

* * *

Alice's aunt and uncle lived in a sprawling suburb just outside of London, very near the place where Alice grew up. Walking down the street of dimly lit porches and long driveways brought back warm memories of childhood.

Before Alice could even knock on the front door, Aunt Marla swung it open and enveloped her in a big hug.

"Oh, we are so glad to see you dear! Have you eaten? You're looking a bit gaunt!" The cheery, slightly overweight woman gushed.

Alice knew this meant her aunt had gone through the trouble of making a large dinner, the smell of which hit her nose the moment she passed through the door.

"There she is, our Oxford princess!" Uncle George mused from the living room. In many ways, the couple was just as proud of her as her own father had been. Without any children of their own, and with their other niece and nephew overseas, Alice presence in London was a treat.

"Well what are you waitin' for George, let's go eat!" Aunt Marla nagged, since he had already sat back down in his favorite armchair.

The table was filled with plates of fresh vegetables and broiled rosemary chicken. Her aunt had also baked a hearty loaf of whole grain bread that morning. As usual, everything was delicious, probably even more so because Alice was starving; the day's events had made her forget to eat lunch altogether.

After dinner, the trio sat in the living area near a cozy stone fireplace. Aunt Marla had poured each of them a glass of port wine. Alice hoped the red liquid would help her sleep.

"So!" Aunt Marla spoke with an expression of excitement, "How is that young man, oh, what was his name Rupert, Roger…?"

"Robert." Alice corrected. "I wouldn't know. I haven't talked to him since I saw him snogging my best friend last summer." Alice's sarcasm dripped heavily as she thought of the young engineer who she spent the better part of two years with; she took a large sip of wine after the thought.

"Oh, he was still a boy then," Aunt Marla responded, frowning at the thought of his actions.

"Apparently," Alice said, leaving the topic at that. She remembers telling her aunt this before and figured it was just her way of engaging in a conversion of any recent love interest. Unfortunately, that was the last thing on Alice's mind.

"It's all for the better dear. With your beauty you will find a nice London gentleman in no time."

Alice declined to comment on Aunt Marla's gendered perspective of match making, instead she smiled and took another sip of wine.

Hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction, Uncle George asked, "So, my lady, I heard your book will be published soon?"

"Yes, but I've had a bit of a falling out with my publisher. It's been pushed back," She said, telling only part of the truth.

"Pity," George responded, "Perhaps it'll be out when we return from our holiday?"

George had recently retired and the couple had been saving up for decades to do some real traveling.

"Have you decided on your destination?" Alice asked, knowing they were still running scenarios the last time they met.

"Oh yes," Aunt Marla chimed, "We will be spending two months in the south of France. I've always wanted to see Paris in the springtime." Aunt Marla's eyes glazed over, she was a hopeless romantic and although you wouldn't know from Uncle George's ruff exterior, he was too.

The conversation continued for about an hour, and once Alice had finished another half glass of wine she decided to retire to the guest room, which her aunt reminded her was always open. The fluffy bed had a soft colorful quilt comforter that matched the home's French country décor perfectly. She climbed in, immediately feeling her body sink in its cushion.

Her mind, however, was not ready to relax. Not many things scared Alice, except for losing her intellect. She had watched her mother's sanity slip away and she feared that she may someday meet the same fate. She was unsure of the powers of those in the world she discovered and what they wanted from her. Would they also erase her memory? The weight of these ideas as well as the activities of the day had lulled Alice into a deep sleep.

Tuesday morning at the Ministry of Magic was again buzzing with the hustle and bustle of workers. Draco had arrived slightly later than normal, due to reading the young woman's book into the late hours of the night. He had found it strangely fascinating to say the least, as it expounded both muggle and wizard perspectives on events throughout the prior century. He had never read a book written by a muggle, nor did he ever take Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, considering such classes pointless and a waste of a wizard's education. But after a few chapters he was aware of his ignorance of this other world and he felt slightly embarrassed intellectually.

Entering the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, he sensed an odd tension in the air. Making his way to his desk he passed by two witches holding copies of that morning's _Daily Prophet_, pointing and commenting in a hushed whisper. Seeing a stack of newspapers nearby, he grabbed one and upon unfolding he was greeted by the headline, "Ministry Mishandles Muggle Relations: Muggle Unruliness Bigger Problem than We Think." The article detailed the current muggle book case, alluding to the department's ineptitude of keeping the wizarding world secret. On the front page was also a picture of Alice McNally and a commentary written by her to _The Daily Prophet._ The editor had entitled it, "The Muggle Manifesto: The Voice of the Ministry's Malady."

Susie McClellan, the head office assistant, had been walking through the aisle, stopping beside Draco's desk to say her morning pleasantries. "I see you found the article?" She chimed, in her usual cheery fashion.

"She wrote to _The Daily Prophet_? The muggle woman, I mean." Draco asked still stunned by the information explosion occurring on the newspaper's front page.

"Apparently. She knows a lot more than we thought. They're gonna have to bring her in for questioning." Susie was referring to the Special Cases Unit.

Without saying another word, Susie turned on her heels and went her way. Just then a violet purple airplane landed on Draco's desk.

_Draco,_

_I'm sure you read the paper this morning. Accordingly, my unit will have to move faster on this case than previously anticipated. Our unit's potioneer is currently away on important business and we need someone to perform various tests on the suspect. I would like to instate you on this case for the time being, if you are able to halt your current research._

_It would be appreciated._

_Blaise Zabini_

_Head of Special Cases Unit_

_Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

Draco only momentarily considered the task before accepting. He figured this case wouldn't take longer than a week and after that he would be back to his currently dull research. He quickly owled Professor Slughorn telling him of his hiatus, adding reassurances that his research would resume after the case was settled. With that, he collected his things and reported to the Special Cases Unit, expecting a similar commotion to have occurred there thanks to the morning's newspaper.

Draco arrived just in time for the briefing. Blaise greeted him and introduced him to the group by his acting title as case potioneer. Draco, along with the other five members of the unit listened as Blaise provided them with the current information they had on McNally.

"Alice McNally is still not known to have any relations in the wizarding world. Her father lives in the United States with a wife and two children. She also has an aunt and uncle from her father's side who live in London. Her mother is 19 years deceased; died of an overdose of clinical drugs which were prescribed for mental instability. Three of her known grandparents are deceased, the fourth, a grandfather on her mother's side, is unnamed. She is single and has few other relationships in London; having only moved here one month prior. She resided in London until age 7, in America until age 22, and then Oxford and now London. Her current location is East Walston Street, London, at her aunt and uncle's residence. She will be collected once she leaves."

As Blaise finished, Draco realized he wasn't use to hearing about the familial details of a stranger or perhaps he felt uncomfortable knowing all this about a girl whose book he spent the night with.

"Draco," Blaise motioned for Draco to follow him into his side office. Once there he continued, "We need you to follow up on her ancestry, specifically her unnamed grandfather." Draco nodded, but was a bit surprised.

Blaise continued, as if thinking out loud, "I'm going to assess her mental stability as well, seeing how her mother was mentally unstable. If we can declare her insane then the case is closed."

Draco's eyes narrowed, "I highly doubt that she's insane."

"Perhaps not, but it's still something we need to rule out. Hopefully I can make her speak about any relations she has within the wizarding world. It is unlikely that she knew of all this on her own." The department was not allowed to use legilimency until absolutely necessary and it was preferable, especially by the Muggle Liaison Office, to use softer measures when dealing with muggles; though they had very little rights with their laws.

Draco accepted his task but still didn't completely understanding its reasoning. He would spend the next few hours in the department's laboratory preparing testing brews. For some reason, it made him feel dirty.


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing; just having some fun with the world of HP.

_A/N_: Thank you for the reviews thus far! I'm having a lot of fun with this. :)

* * *

Alice had surprisingly gotten a good night of sleep and she arose wanting to thank her aunt's fluffy guest bed and the two glasses of port wine she had after dinner. After tidying up the room, she headed towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of cold water. She still felt full from the previous night's feast.

"Mornin' my lady," Uncle George said from his usual spot on his comfortable armchair in the living room. He was watching the morning news. "Marla's gone for the morning; she always has tea on Tuesdays with Mrs. Pots up the street. She left you some homemade lemon scones in the pantry."

"Thanks Uncle George. I was wondering…could I leave my traveling bag here for a little while? I have an appointment in the city later this morning and don't think I'll have time to return it to my flat." Not content to do nothing and wait for her situation to resolve itself, Alice had planned to go to Mylton & Sons Publishing Company to see if she could find any clues surrounding Thomas Mylton Jr.'s sudden memory loss.

"Of course! You have a key so if you can't retrieve it prior to our holiday, feel free to stop by anytime after," said George, who started flipping television channels.

Alice proceeded to get ready for her day. Her aunt had everything set up for her in the guest bathroom. After straightening her long auburn hair, she packed up her things, divvying what she needed and what she didn't. It had made her bag a bit heavier than usual. She put on a simple black a-line wool mini dress and black tights, and opted for a pair of black flats instead of heels. She put on a black cardigan for warmth. "Goodness Alice," she thought to herself, "I know you want to be covert today but you totally forgot to pack any color in your wardrobe." Upon her way out she made sure to put one of Aunt Marla's handmade lemon scones in a plastic bag for later. Uncle George gave her a big bear hug at the door and she told him to let Aunt Marla know of her gratitude. Alice figured she would see them after they got back from Southern France, since they planned to leave within the week.

Leaving the house, the sun felt warm on Alice's back. Being a Tuesday mid-morning, most residents were at work so the street felt extremely dead; only the sounds of birds chirping their love of spring could be heard. It was about two blocks to the bus stop when Alice began to realize her vulnerability, making her consciously quicken her pace. Her one hand moved into her shoulder bag to grasp the aerosol canister of pepper spray. She intended to hold onto it until she got on the bus.

Suddenly, she heard a "whoosh" sound behind her. Turning around and looking upward, she was met with the fierce brown eyes of a man twice her size. Without thinking she removed the pepper spray from her bag, aimed it at his face and pushed the button. An unpleasant pungent mixture of toxins shot into his eyes at point blank range. After a few seconds, Alice pivoted and began running in the opposite direction, her feet thankful she had worn flats.

She had gotten about 10 meters when all of the sudden she was disarmed, her pepper spray literally disappeared from her grasp and a strong hand caught her shoulder gripping her backwards. Turning she met the dark eyes of the same man who had followed her from the pub the previous day. She was unable to react before she felt her insides twist in and out.

Blaise had disapparated himself and the young woman back to the Special Cases Unit office. His hand held her arm tightly preventing her from falling after an undoubtedly disorienting trip. Her weak and startled state led her heavy bag to slide off her shoulder to the marble floor below, some of its contents spilled out. Alice felt like she would throw up but there was nothing in her stomach to do so.

The large brut of a wizard who got peppered sprayed apparated into the office shortly after, tears streaming down his face.

"What the hell did she do to me!" He cried in agony; he was having difficulty breathing and his eyesight was failing. Many in the office were stunned.

Blaise pulled out the aerosol can from his jacket pocket and flashed it in front of Alice who was still trying to find her bearings, his grasp continued to hold her up. "What is this?" He asked firmly.

"The effects will subside in about an hour," she said wincing, trying hard to steady her voice.

Blaise handed the can to his assistant, "Keep that," he said assertively. His hand still clasped Alice's arm tightly, cutting off the circulation of blood to her hand. He pulled her easily into the interrogation room.

Alice hardly struggled, knowing it was a pointless. She already felt demeaned in front of countless individuals who were obviously not on her side. Blaise pushed her body towards a chair and motioned her to sit. Once out of the release of Blaise's grasp, she quickly grabbed her arm as if making sure it was still functioning.

A bit angered by the unexpected attack on his partner, Blaise slammed the interrogation door behind him, leaving him and Alice sheltered from the outside.

Alice winced at the sound of the door shutting. Blaise, however, quickly regained his composer, straightened his suit coat, and turned towards the young woman sitting in the chair holding her arm.

As he moved to face Alice, her head rose and her eyes narrowed directly on his. But behind her brave eyes, her mind raced through the situation. She thought this must be the place they take you to erase your memory.

Blaise paced to the other side of the room, where he stopped to lean against a long table that was pushed against the wall. His hands crossed over his chest, contemplating how to begin.

Uncomfortable by the silence, Alice interjected, "How do you do it?" she asked.

He gave her a puzzled look.

"How do you erase someone's memory? Is that why I'm here?" Alice's voice grew firmer.

After a brief pause, Blaise finally spoke, "No, that is not why you're here. We need information. You seem to have a lot of that." He picked up her book that was sitting on the table behind him. "How did you write this? Who helped you?"

Alice's eyes widened upon seeing her book, knowing that it was printed only to be stolen and brought here. She didn't respond to his question.

After a brief pause Blaise continued to speak, "We have regulations. Muggles who know about our world are prohibited from divulging information to others. It is obvious information passed to you from someone and you're going to tell us who." His voice sounded unforgiving.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Alice knew exactly what he was hinting at. "Of course," she said, sounding a bit cocky at first, "It's too difficult for you to think I figured it out on my own." Then after a brief pause, she concluded with more seriousness, "But it is that simple."

Blaise accepted her sincerity but it simply wasn't enough to vindicate her. Leaving the book on the table behind him, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I have rights too!" Alice yelled right before the door closed; she was angry that those rights seemed to be void in this realm.


	11. Chapter 11

The office outside the interrogation room had calmed down since the incident. The large wizard whose face unluckily encountered Alice's pepper spray attack relocated to another room down the hall to recuperate. Another witch chimed a healing spell which subsided some of the irritation, but his eyesight was still blurry since the toxins had gone into his tear ducts.

Draco had returned to the office in time to witness the bizarre commotion that had taken place and he waited silently for Blaise to exit the room. When he did, his face looked perplexed. One of the case's team members quickly rushed over to him with Alice's bag, which she had dropped upon arrival.

Blaise glanced through the bag's opening and while pushing several items aside, including a badly squished lemon scone, he pulled out a small book with a stack of folded parchment stuck in between its pages. Removing it he noticed there were two _Daily Prophet_ newspapers, one around eight years old, the other from yesterday. "Interesting," he thought, while folding the parchment back up and placing them in his jacket pocket.

He noticed Draco had returned from the department laboratory and he motioned for him to come over. "I think you should take the samples now," Blaise said, leading Draco into the interrogation room.

After Blaise left the room, Alice rose from the chair and went over to the book lying on the table, her book. She grabbed it, running her fingers over the highly glossed cover and flipping through its newly printed pages; its text was all too familiar. It was to be her first academic milestone, the first book she had published. This remnant only rammed in the reality of her situation. Her memory of this book could be gone by the end of today. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming her senses as best possible.

The door opened again and Blaise walked confidently through the door. Alice cradled the book in her chest, as if protecting it, and she stared calm and as poised as she could in his direction. Behind him followed Draco and her eyes narrowed on the tall blonde.

"Draco Malfoy." The name dripped from her mouth accidentally.

Draco looked confused at Blaise who had already closed the door behind him. Blaise nonchalantly pulled the two newspapers from his inner jacket pocket. "She's had reading material," he said, handing them to Draco.

Draco quickly realized the one paper she had was from his most difficult time in life, the trial and incarceration of his father in Azkaban; while the other was yesterday's edition which included an article on his current research with Professor Slughorn. Having only hours ago been given a detailed description of Alice's life, she had already had some knowledge of his.

"_The Daily Prophet_ typically doesn't fall outside our realm, but yet you happened to come across it," Blaise said coming closer to her.

Still clutching the book to her chest, Alice slowly took a step back towards the wall, feeling slightly threatened. "I happened to come across many things, I just devoted my mind to figuring them out." Removing the book from her chest, "This book," she looked down at it proudly before continuing, "This book was merely hypothetical, I present no tangible evidence to support my case, no source of absolute definitive information, only postulates... That paper," she pointed at Draco who held it in his hand, "That paper only provided creative input, helping to explain what I saw as off in my world."

Her ability to speak lyrically again deceived her outward appearance which exhibited a delicate naiveté.

"And this?" Blaise asked; pulling that morning's _Daily Prophet_ out of his pocket.

Alice's eyes widened when she saw her face on the front cover, "They did publish it!" Her astonishment had made her forget her place as she quickly snatched it away from Blaise's hands, opening it fully to survey the article.

Draco was more than amused by the muggle's agility, but Blaise was not, especially since that morning's front page had the possibility of damaging his reputation as head of the Special Cases Unit. "Care to explain?" He asked, sounding perturbed.

After a moment of scanning the various headlines of the newspaper, she replied, "Call it poetic revenge. I thought by now I would have no recollection of any of these events." Alice folded the newspaper and in a gesture of civility, handed it back to Blaise, who took it without much expression. Suddenly she thought her shrill commentary may have hurt her situation more than helped. She moved towards the chair to sit down, feeling slightly defeated.

Blaise decided to take a step back to let Draco do his job. "Mr. Malfoy here, whom you seem to already know, will be taking samples for testing."

Draco removed a small knife from his jacket. He knelt down besides Alice, whose hands continued to clutch her book in her lap. No matter what, she knew she couldn't hide the worry from her eyes. His hand slowly grabbed a strand of her long auburn hair while the other hand brought the knife to trim a small length from its end. He removed a glass vial from his pocket and placed the strands inside. Next, he grabbed her right hand from the book it was holding. Alice expected his touch to be jarring but it was surprisingly gentle. As Alice saw the knife, she looked him straight in the eyes and whispered firmly, "I feel pain," hoping he would be reminded of her humanity. Slightly apprehensive, Draco pricked her index finger with the point of his knife. He saw Alice's eyes wince but she quickly returned them to a blank stare. He collected several drops and closed his vial. Returning his knife and samples to his jacket he removed his wand and cradled Alice's wounded hand on top of his own. With a simple flick, her small cut had closed. Alice gazed into his light grey eyes with a sense of calculated wonder and for a moment she thought she could see a touch of kindness behind them. His hand lingered for a moment longer than it should have as he gazed back at her.

Blaise had witnessed this peculiar moment and decided to interrupt for the sake of both of them, "Good. I expect to see a report by the end of the day."

Snapping out of his trance, Draco released Alice's hand and proceeded to leave the room, with Blaise following behind him. For Alice, this had been the first time she witnessed real magic preformed, it was not something she could take lightly.


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything from the world of HP.

_A/N_: Thank you all for the reviews. Much of this story is prewritten, so I will be updating periodically through the week.

* * *

Time continued to pass and Alice remained isolated in the interrogation room. She had pulled the chair over to the side table in order to have somewhere to rest her head. She was getting a terrible headache from the lack of food in her system. Luckily, a young witch had come in carrying a tray with a bowl of hearty vegetable soup and some bread. She placed it on the table near Alice and left. Alice was apprehensive at first, smelling the food for any hint of poison, but her hunger overtook her fear and she ate. The whole time she wondered and worried about what tests they could be performing with her blood and hair samples and what would become of her afterwards.

Draco had returned to the department's laboratory where earlier that day he had prepared several cauldrons full of testing potions. He unlocked their lids through incantation and quickly checked their color and smell to make sure they coagulated correctly. Filling several flasks of different brews, he withdrew the two glass vials from his inner coat pocket. Using tweezers he carefully dropped a strand of Alice's hair into the first flask, noting the reaction and color, which had turned pale purple. He repeated the test with a different brew of the same mixture in order to verify the results. It also turned pale purple. Next, he slowly dripped two drops of Alice's blood into a third flask. Suddenly, a unique reaction occurred. The brew hissed and turned bright red before dimming to a faint mauve color, the smoke exuded was green. Draco repeated the test with a fourth flask and the same reaction happened. A magical quill was overhead recording all results in duplicate, as a means of verification for the department.

The test results were unexpected and Draco stared pensively at the table before him. He grabbed a well-worn book on reading reactions, which he had retrieved earlier from the laboratory library. He wanted to double check what he apparently saw. Then he ran two more experiments in order to obtain more clues. Only after knowing his results were conclusive, he dictated it to the quill and returned to the department's office to share the news.

That morning the Special Cases Unit had been bombarded with memos to offer comment to _The Daily Prophet_. Blaise was noticeably frustrated by this. Of all the cases his office had successfully worked on, why did the press decide to publicize one concerning a muggle. He seriously hoped this wouldn't define his career. The Ministry's Public Relations office was also concerned, as they are when any inside news is leaked to the public. They wanted Blaise to offer a public statement at the end of the day in order to remedy the situation. These events had not made him think kindly of the muggle woman. He was optimistic, however, that if no inside wizarding world sources were found to have leaked information, then her jurisdiction would fall squarely with the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, and more specifically the Muggle Liaison Office. Her mind would be obliviated and she would return to her world, then Blaise could move onto a more important case.

Upon Draco's return, the case's team members gathered in the meeting chamber to hear the results of the tests. Draco handed out duplicates of the data and composed himself before beginning. "The results were conclusive. Alice McNally is three-fourth muggle, one-fourth witch. It is right to assume that the unnamed grandfather on her mother's side was a wizard." Surprised looks filled the small room.

"She doesn't seem to possess any magical abilities," replied one of the wizards in the group. "A squib?"

"It would explain why the Muggle-Repelling Charm didn't have the desired effect at the Leaky Cauldron," remarked Blaise, recalling Alice's easy entry into the pub. Most muggles who encountered such charmed places should have immediately been reminded of an important appointment and left without another thought.

"That's what I assumed," Draco continued, "But, I also ran a test to see if she possessed the magical gene and she does. Technically she should have developed her abilities as a child."

"So, she's pretending not to be a witch?" Blaise crossed his arms, a bit offended by the thought.

"Not exactly," Draco interrupted, "Her magical gene was repressed by an outside force, an enchantment. It's a very rare piece of magic that can actually block a person's magical ability completely. Considering her background, the enchantment must have been cast when she was young so she never developed any magical abilities."

The meeting room was silent for a moment as the members considered the implications of taking away what all of them couldn't imagine living without.

"The question is why," Draco had verbalized what everyone in the room was thinking.

"We need to find out the identity of her unknown grandfather, considering the rest are confirmed muggles. It's worth cross-checking her ancestry with the Azkaban blood database to see if there's a familial match." Blaise said authoritatively. The database was parallel to the non-magical world's fingerprint and DNA matching system. The Ministry had kept blood records on all incarcerated individuals and could check for matches when necessary.

"Already started but it may take some time," Draco added.

Blaise nodded to Draco approvingly, and then added, "Despite this, her ancestry allows the department to charge her for violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. They'll decide her memory's fate and," he looked specifically at the team's assistant, "I'll need the paperwork drawn up."

The group dispersed and a violet purple piece of parchment, which a magical quill had taken the meeting's minutes on, folded itself into an airplane and quickly zoomed its way through the door. It would be travelling to level 3 to alert those who were jointly working on the Alice McNally case.

Within minutes of the plane's absence, a new interdepartmental memo arrived falling in front of a slightly annoyed Blaise.

_Dear Blaise Zabini,_

_Upon conclusive evidence that Alice McNally is not a complete muggle, she will become the sole responsibility of your team in the Special Cases Unit. Matters concerning her book have been eradicated in the non-magical world and the Department of Magical Events and Catastrophes considers their involvement in the case closed. All following issues surrounding Alice McNally now falls squarely on your unit._

_Sincerely,_

_Dusty Clementine_

_Muggle Liaison Office Head_

_Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes_

"Figures," Blaise remarked sarcastically, his earlier hopes of ridding himself of this case now crushed. Upon the Ministry of Magic's request, he would have to prepare a public statement in order to quench the thirst of the hungry media who would most likely spin this case into something it was not - newsworthy.


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: _All HP references belong to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

_The Daily Prophet_ had again turned an unworthy story into gossip gold. And Alice McNally's strident commentary had prompted a hailstorm of respondents from the wizarding world, most condemning her right to make such remarks against their society. It had brought attention back to the divergent viewpoints on muggles, with muggle-borns, half-bloods and pure-bloods squarely at odds of their worth. Barnabus Cuffe, _The Daily Prophet's_ editor, had received so many owled remarks from his readers that he had to be rather selective when filling up the comment's section for the evening edition. The public interest had made this into a story worth following and his two top journalists, Barkley and Eisenhorn, were busy digging for information at the Ministry of Magic's headquarters.

Meanwhile Blaise Zabini had prepared a short public statement regarding the case, which he gave on a podium in front of several reporters and flashing photographers that afternoon.

"The case concerning the muggle, Alice McNally, is now being handled exclusively by the Special Cases Unit in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. All possible breaches of information into the muggle world stemming from her book have been cleared by the Obliviator's office. Alice McNally has been taken into custody and will be charged for violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Other comments will be given at a later date."

Immediately after finishing his statement, reporters began shouting questions, but Blaise did not stop to respond and promptly returned to his headquarters on Level 2.

This statement, although short and precise, actually led to more accusations and speculations in the press. Why would the Department of Magical Law Enforcement be exclusively handling this case when problems concerning muggles were handled by the Muggle Liaison Office in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes? Why was she being charged instead of simply having her memory obliviated? Did this suggest she was a witch and presumably working against secrecy laws? Would she be put on trial at Wizengamot?

Meanwhile, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes was clearing its offices of the boxes of Alice McNally's recently printed book. Put to this menial task was Billy Beezlebub, a lowly office assistant who only begun working for the department two weeks prior. That afternoon he would be levitating boxes down to the Ministry's storage room. Along the way, in the department's open quarters, he was approached by Eisenhorn, the older and sneakier of the two journalists from _The Daily Prophet_. Eisenhorn used his tricky ways to confuse Billy into giving him the boxes of the muggle's book, offering scant payment in return for discretion. Being susceptible to bribery and with the aid of a confundus charm, Billy assisted Eisenhorn in stealing a majority of the boxes.

Before any official announcements were made, Alice's book had started selling at various places in the British wizarding world. Eisenhorn had sent boxes to some of the newspaper's affiliated magical book retailers. It was part of the Barnabus Cuffe's scheme to breathe life into their story, while also making a percentage of profit from the sales.

Barkley, along with other journalists and photographers, had stationed themselves in front of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's holding block. They rightly assumed that the muggle, if being charged with a crime as Blaise Zabini had said, would spend the following days and nights there. Since the holding block was a no apparition zone with one entrance, the unit would be unable to keep Alice McNally from the reporter's bombardment.

Blaise was aware of this hindrance and he discussed alternatives with his fellow team members. He wanted to carry this case out discretely, keeping quiet any knowledge of the search for Alice's wizard grandfather. While some team members offered their own home as temporary residence for the muggle, Blaise felt it would only be a matter of time before her location would be found by reporters, who undoubtedly had access to the names of people who worked there. Draco, realizing he was not on the official registry of the department, offered to take Alice to Malfoy Manor. It was an odd gesture coming from him, considering his family's open contempt for muggles, but something compelled him to suggest it.

Blaise agreed although he was suspicious of his friend's interest in the girl. He didn't allow his thoughts to linger though, believing this case would most likely be completed by the end of the week and Alice McNally would either be pardoned or her memory obliviated. Either way, she would no longer be their concern.

* * *

Alice had spent the day reading her own book, seeing how there was nothing else to do in the interrogation room. She made mental notes of parts that she thought she could elaborate on after having witnessed magic. Of course, she also thought this was a futile exercise, that it was only a matter of time before her memory of it would be erased. And while this thought crept fear into her mind, she meditated on and off to maintain a calm composure.

Blaise and Draco entered the interrogation room to find Alice sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, her legs outstretch, leisurely reading her book. She had taken off her flats and the pair sat neatly next to her. She looked up at the two men with a coolness that made them feel out of place. Blaise had brought in Alice's bag and he swung it over to the ground next to her. Her face grimaced at the clunking noise it made. She scooped it up and inspected it. Her netbook and mobile phone were missing. She then pulled out a plastic baggie with a crushed lemon scone in it. "That's a pity," she said, inspecting the flattened contents.

"Get up," Blaise said, not amused by her carefree attitude. "You'll be leaving shortly."

"Leaving?" Alice quickly got up, placed her feet in her shoes and grabbed her bag. "You're letting me go?"

"Not exactly. You're being charged with violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy." He said, stopping Alice's optimism.

"Charged?" Alice asked astonished. "With a law I didn't know about?"

"You'll be kept under surveillance for the next several days until the trial." Blaise was not about to share any more information on the case with Alice.

"Under surveillance?" Alice felt the demeaning sting of their authority over her, as she crossed her arms in defiance. "Well, I hope I can at least return to my apartment and get some of my belongings."

Blaise looked at Draco and nodded in a gesture of approval, and then added, "You will accompany Mr. Malfoy to Malfoy Manor and stay there for the next few days."

Alice's eyes moved over to Draco's, who was avoiding direct eye contact with her. Her mind remembered the article in the old _Daily Prophet_ entitled "Fallen from Grace." The Malfoys, Lucius, Nacissa and their son, Draco, her mind recalled. All pure-bloods. It also mentioned something about the father's "Death Eater" ties, but the words had no meaning to her as an outsider. That had always troubled her about the paper. Since there was no dictionary available to look things up she could only deduce some possible meanings of words through their context in the article.

Draco had walked over to Alice, placing his hand around her arm. He didn't grasp it too tightly as Blaise had earlier that morning. Then he said, "It helps if you close your eyes."

Alice knew that she would be taking the same journey out of there as she had come and quickly did as he said. With a flash and what felt like a swirling motion, they had appeared in Alice's small flat which remained exactly as she left it the day before. It was still a mess from being ransacked and admittedly, she felt embarrassed by Draco's presence in her not too well kept home.

But Draco didn't seem fazed by the mess and instead noticed the bookshelf that was lining the one wall. As he went over to survey her impressive library collection, Alice pulled out her suitcase from under the bed and began filling it with clothes from her closet and other necessities from her drawers. She considered running or beating the man with a random item, but she knew the act would only make things worse.

Draco had pulled out a book of interest from the top shelf and began reading the back cover. Alice had noticed his selection: _The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry_.

Alice, still shuffling through her things, spoke, "I deduced that alchemy was originally a wizard's activity that non-magical people attempted to adopt, but failed. Only once we let go of trying to obtain the supernatural, did modern chemistry advance."

"Yes," Draco said still looking at the back cover, "You briefly mentioned that in your book."

"You've read my book?" Alice's said surprised.

Draco merely nodded and to avoid singularity added, "Most of the department has."

"Oh," Alice replied. "Well, please feel free to borrow that book, if you like." She had finished packing everything she could possible fit in her small suitcase, including a few books and the notebook that was sitting on her desk. She had no idea how long she would be staying at Malfoy Manor but at least she had a few comforts from home.

"Ready?" Draco asked. He had placed the chemistry book in his robe, thinking it might be an interesting read.

He offered his hand to Alice, who for some reason didn't hesitate to take it. She felt oddly safe around this man; he was definitely gentler than the other she encountered that day. Alice again shut her eyes and with another twist and turn of her insides she was standing in the giant foyer of Malfoy Manor.


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer_: Don't own anything, just having fun in HP's world.

* * *

Alice immediately looked up, as if the elevated and ornately coffered ceiling demanded her attention. The lighting was dim, but what light there was sparkled off the golden embellishments scattered across the room. The floor was a beautiful black marble covered by ornate Persian rugs. The lush furniture reminded her of the French Baroque style and she wondered if it was that old.

From the other side of the foyer, a tiny, gaunt figure appeared. It was a faint grey color and was wearing a very untidy tea towel. He slowly approached Draco, nervously fidgeting his hands together. "Young Master Draco has returned." He said feigning excitement, his beady eyes moving between Draco and his new companion.

"Loister, take Miss McNally and her belongings to the East guestroom," Draco said.

"Yes Master Draco sir." Loister took the handle of Alice's suitcase, which Draco had placed in front of him, and the little elf began pulling it over and up the grand center staircase. Alice simply looked on in amazement.

"House elf," Draco said to Alice nonchalantly, she could only nod bewildered by it. "Go on," he said, urging her to follow.

Alice caught up to the house elf, which had made it to the top of the stairs. She tried to grab her suitcase from the small figure, but he swung it away from her. "No, this is Loister's task, given to me by Master Draco," he said determined, but slightly out of breath.

Alice really didn't know what to say and continued to follow him. The house elf led her down a wide corridor with several doors lining each side. He then opened the third door on the right and with a quick snap of his fingers, lights in the room turned on. It was sumptuously decorated, with a large marble fireplace caddied by two chocolate brown leather armchairs. The walls were trimmed in ornate sage green wallpaper, and a huge four poster bed had cushions that looked even fluffier than Aunt Marla's. There was also an adjoining bathroom, and Alice could see the side of a white porcelain tub peaking out.

The house elf placed her suitcase next to her and left the room, slamming the door behind him. "I suppose there could be worse locations to be stuck in," she said as her feet moved her towards the bed.

Downstairs Draco had proceeded into the drawing room where he expected to find his parents. He was contemplating how he would explain his guest, knowing they would not be pleased. Before entering he heard his father talking.

"To think that such rabble could come from a muggle's quill. It's insulting that it was even printed!" Lucius said angrily, holding that morning's _Daily Prophet_ in his hand.

"Oh, Draco!" Nacissa spoke out, turning her head and smiling towards her son. Draco's movement had slowed upon hearing his father's words. "Who was the companion you arrived with?" She asked. Draco noted that nothing ever gets past his mother.

Draco started from the beginning of his day, casually explaining that he was asked to work on a case for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement by his former classmate Blaise Zabini. He would fill in for their potioneer, who was away on business. Adding that he had already run several potions tests on the subject they had in for questioning.

"Well that all sounds very official," Nacissa mused, impressed that he was trusted with such a task.

However, his father's eyes narrowed, "And your guest?" he said.

"Well, she needs a place to stay while the case is running, where reporters can't find her and since I'm not registered as an official department worker, I offered." Draco realized he skipped an important piece of information.

His father suddenly grew aware of the paper he was holding and it did not take him long to piece in the missing parts. "You offered our house to a filthy muggle criminal!" He yelled. "This is entirely unacceptable!"

Draco gritted his teeth during the response and then spoke to her defense, "It is temporary and she's not filthy or a criminal."

Lucius's eyes raged with anger and Nacissa, although equally disappointed in her son's decision, decided to quell the fire. "It's probably more complicated than we think, Lucius," she said calmly, noting that the investigation was continuing and this woman must have had some interest for the department.

Nacissa had the unique ability to calm her husband's temperament. She continued, "It is your house too Draco, but you cannot expect us to take kindly to this." Draco nodded. It was times like these where he considered living on his own.

Lucius added, "And make sure you keep her under lock and key. I can't promise her safety if she's out of her room."

Draco understood their meaning. Leaving his parents behind he decided to check in on Alice before retiring to his room.

He knocked on the door and slowly opened it. Upon entering he saw a hand fly up from the bed. "Over here," Alice said, not moving her body from its position. She had already removed her stockings and decided to lie down on her back. It felt like therapy after a long day of sitting in an uncomfortable chair or on the floor of the interrogation room. A moment later she rose and slid her bare legs to dangle over the side. Draco blushed slightly at the sight of her pale skin.

Clearing his throat he managed to speak, "I hope this room is adequate."

Alice laughed slightly, "It's better than my current flat, but…" She sounded unsure of continuing, "This doesn't seem normal for my situation."

Draco knew that Alice was given few if any details on her incarceration. Blaise had wanted it that way, though Draco found most details unnecessary to hide.

"You would be staying in the department holding block, but you've created some interest with _The Daily Prophet_. We want to distance you from journalists." He avoided saying too much.

"I see…I could tell the other guy wasn't thrilled about the publicity. He's the head of this case, isn't he?"

"Yes, his name is Blaise Zabini," Draco informed her, realizing she had not been given his name.

"And you? From the newspaper it sounded like you were an independent potions researcher." She wondered why he was involved.

"Well, I am, but I was asked to fill in for their current specialist, who's away. Blaise is a friend from school…" He trailed off, noticing he was perhaps conversing too much with her.

Noticing the tension, Alice spoke, "I don't mean to pry; I just don't know what to make of my situation anymore."

"I would tell you," Draco said feeling some compassion, "But I am not completely sure myself. Loister will bring your meals, but it is requested that you stay in your room."

He turned and started walking to the door.

"Draco," Alice said after him, making him stop. "Thank you," her voice dripped with sincerity.

Draco felt the sound of her voice hit him softly to his core, but without a reply, he continued out the door, locking it behind him.


	15. Chapter 15

Loister, the Malfoy's house elf, had brought dinner on a silver platter to Alice's room. After eating, she decided to pour herself a bath, hoping the warm water would relieve some of her tension and ease her transition into sleep.

While running the water she heard a tapping noise coming from outside on the veranda. Peering through the glass, she saw a dusty brown owl drop a bundle of parchment on the veranda floor, only to jump up on the railing and fly away. After retrieving it, she noticed it was a letter attached to the evening edition of _The Daily Prophet_ newspaper. On the outside of the letter was written, Miss Alice McNally.

"These owls really do find you anywhere," she thought, while breaking the envelope's wax seal.

_Dear Alice McNally,_

_Your former commentary has sparked a great debate in the wizarding world. A second response would be a thrilling enterprise for us. _

_Sincerely yours,_

_Barnabus Cuffe_

_Editor, The Daily Prophet_

"Curious," Alice pondered the letter for a moment longer before grabbing the crisp evening edition of _The Daily Prophet_.

On the front page was none other than Blaise Zabini, seconds of his press conference caught in a black and white photograph. "It's moving?" Alice almost dropped the paper in surprise. None of her other papers had moving photographs but then again, she never read them in the magical realm. A moment later she focused on the text.

_In a statement today, Special Cases Unit head, Blaise Zabini, offered scant words of wisdom on the matter of the miscreant muggle, stating that the case is now being handled exclusively by the Special Cases Unit in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He assured the public that the Ministry has upheld the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy by eradicating all breached information. But what is puzzling is that the muggle known as Alice McNally has been taken into custody and charged. No comment has been made for why. Inside sources tell us that potions tests are being conducted to discern her true identity. Could she be a witch with contempt for her magical ancestry in disguise? Has the department failed again to do its job in protecting our informational security?_

Alice's eyes continued to scan the sentence, _Could she be a witch…in disguise? _Her mind raced - Was that the potions tests they were performing? Did they assume she had magical ancestry? What were the implications if she did? But she couldn't do magic and certainly didn't use magic to write her book. Why do they think so little of muggle's mental ability? Only if she had never written that book…

Alice had lost herself in contemplation when suddenly she heard a splashing sound. "The bath!" she jumped up and raced over to turn off the faucet. The bathroom tile was suddenly covered by a puddle of warm water. The rug in front of the vanity, undoubtedly a well kept antique, had now become a soggy mess.

Finding some towels in a cupboard, which not surprisingly were embroidered with the letter "M," she attempted to clean up the deluge as best she could. She then hung the now wet towels and the soggy rug on the railing of her veranda, hoping the brisk air and calm breeze would dry them overnight. By the time she was finished cleaning everything, the water in the bath tub had grown lukewarm. "So much for a bath," she pined; pulling the plug and watching her relaxing soak go down the drain.

The newspaper which Alice had thrown on the floor prior to stopping the flood, had beckoned her back to its pages. She quickly realized that the wizarding world's media was exactly the same as her worlds. They could spin a story in any direction they wanted. Skipping to the comments page she was immediately aware of what the editor meant by "great debate." The page was dripping with negativity and name slinging. A few anonymous posters suggested that the wizarding world should dominate muggles instead of keeping the two worlds separate. Many others felt the laws were too lenient, and that if McNally was a witch, she should be put into Azkaban. There was one comment, by someone called Hermione Weasley, that agreed with McNally's former commentary, reiterating that ignorance only breeds hate and the less we understand muggles the more difficult it is to have an intelligent conversation about them. "At least not everyone's against me," she thought.

Alice retrieved her notebook and a pen from her bag. The comments had upset her enough that she felt an emotional urge to defend her position and she considered providing the editor exactly what he wanted. Opening the page and touching the pen to the paper, she stopped. Suddenly she remembered something her grandfather had told her when he visited her in a dream: "Sometimes it is better to listen than to speak Alice. Only by listening long enough will the words we do speak fully respond to the situation in question."

She put down her pen realizing there were still many things she didn't know about this world. She was naïve to think that her comment would do anything more than make things worse for her. She decided it was time to simply listen.

* * *

The morning had come but the room Alice was in was still dark due to the thick drapes that covered the windows. When she awoke she found a small silver tray with that morning's meal sitting out for her at the side table near the fireplace. She had not heard Loister, the Malfoy's house elf enter the room at all, which made her a little uneasy.

She opened the heavy curtains, letting a pool of light stream in from the outside. Squinting out, she noticed only one white towel hung off the banister. It was lightly blowing in the wind. "One? Where's the other, and the rug?" Her heart raced as she opened the veranda doors to look down to the ground below.

The breeze last night must have picked up, carrying the rug and another towel off the railing. They each landed on a perfectly manicured shrubbery.

"This has the potential to be extremely embarrassing," Alice thought, slightly panicked. Her balcony was on the second floor and the side of the wall nearby was draped in vines with a wooden lattice underneath. Before even considering the situation fully, she swung her leg off the side rail and began climbing down the wooden lattice structure; her feet and hands intertwined with the leafy foliage. Making it to the ground level she quickly grabbed the rug and swung it back up to the overheard balcony. "That's one," she thought a bit relieved when she heard it hit. She moved to grab the white cotton towel on the bush nearby when suddenly she heard low growling noise coming behind her.

Lucius Malfoy's Irish wolf hound was in an attack position several meters away, its white fangs visible and ominous eyes centered directly on Alice. Remaining as composed as she could, Alice slowly collected the towel with her outstretched hand and glided her feet towards the lattice, trying desperately not to make any sudden movements. She kept her eyes fixed on the angry dog which made it unsure of when to attack. As soon as she had one hand firmly secured on the lattice, she swung and jumped up onto it, noting that her hands and feet never moved so fast in her life. The dog raced towards her snapping, only to miss by an incredibly small margin. It continued to growl and bark furiously as it tried to jump up the wall towards Alice, who within seconds made it safely to the other side of the railing.

"Shhh!" Alice jeered at its racket, but it was not backing down and continued to yelp and growl up at her. Thinking it would give her mischief away, she ran inside the room to the breakfast tray which was brought in for her earlier. She grabbed one sausage link and flung it off the veranda. Watching the treat fly, the dog jumped in excitement and quickly gobbled it up. It began waging its tail as if having been rewarded for a job well done. It looked at Alice from down below, happily asking for more. "Alright," she couldn't help but laugh at how its behavior took a complete 180 degree turn. She took the final sausage link from her platter and flung it into its mouth.

Suddenly, a high pitched whistle came from the far garden, acting as a beckoning call for the dog to return to its master. Alice slowly backed into her room and stood behind the open door. She peered out through a slit in the curtains. She could see an imposing figure, dressed in all black with long blonde hair. She correctly guessed it was Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father.

The large hound returned obediently to the man's side while its owner stared suspiciously up at the second story guestroom balcony, disgusted at the thought of the muggle who occupied it. "What is she up to?" He wondered, having heard the dog's racket moments earlier. Instead of lingering he returned to his morning stroll, now followed by a surprisingly happy dog.

Alice sighed. She was incredibly relieved considering the direction the morning events could have taken. Looking at the dirt now soiling her clothes, hands and feet, she had no choice but to wash up before eating her already cold and partially gone breakfast. She had a feeling the day would be dull, stuck in the guestroom at Malfoy Manor, but after the morning's events she couldn't have welcomed it more.


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer_: All HP references are not my property.

_A/N_: Thank you all for the kind reviews. There's plenty more to come!

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Draco left for the Ministry earlier that morning, curious to see if they found a familial match to Alice in the Azkaban criminal blood vault. If they did find a match it could bring them closer to understanding why someone would repress her magical gene when she was a child. The outcome for Alice herself was still uncertain. She would be tried at Wizengamot for violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and her sentence would either be the obliviation of her mind or perhaps she would be allowed to keep her knowledge under certain restrictions.

Blaise Zabini, dressed in his usual black attire, looked irritated as he sat at his desk reading the morning's _Daily Prophet_. The press continued to have a field day with the brief public statement he gave the afternoon before and he felt as if every article was making a mockery out of his department's role in the case with the muggle book writer. He had also learned this morning that about twenty boxes of the confiscated first press of McNally's book had gone missing. They traced the disappearance back to the lowly office assistant, Billy Beezlebub, who got bamboozled on his way to the Ministry's storage facility. Poor Beezlebub was taken in for questioning, but the thief cleverly wiped his mind of his identity, making the office assistant little help. The books were considered the property of the Ministry and as such, officers from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were sent to retrieve them. Out of twenty boxes, only about half had been found, meaning that a substantial amount of McNally's book were already in public hands. The British wizarding world had taken considerable interest in the story, using it as a platform to discuss possible reforms to handling muggle/wizard relations. _The Daily Prophet_ had leant its pages to whoever wanted a say in the matter. In the popular imagination, Alice McNally was either a muggle or a blood-traitor, each equally contemptible. Many muggle-borns, however, sympathized with the lack of respect given to muggles by wizarding folk. Hermione Weasley, in all her wisdom, had written several beautifully composed statements expressing a need for more acceptance and understanding of these differences. If anything, Alice McNally's story had reminded people of the prejudice still present in their society. Also, for the first time in awhile, a book from the muggle world had gained minor popularity, leading some witches and wizards to curiosities they never had before.

Upon Draco's arrival, Blaise accompanied him to retrieve the results from the testing outlet. Alone on the lift, Blaise questioned his friend's interest in Alice.

"You surprised me yesterday," he said, "offering your residence to a muggle."

"It seemed a preferable option," Draco replied dryly, hoping to quell his friend's obvious intent.

"I can understand the interest," Blaise toyed for reaction purposes, "she has great…" Blaise didn't have time to finish his sentence as the golden grill opened and several witches and wizards walked in. Draco could only clear his throat and hope the topic would be dropped from then on.

The results had been written on a piece of parchment and wax sealed in an envelope, allowing only the requester to open it. Draco undid the grey seal, revealing a paper written with the name, Percival Dumbledore, who was sentenced to Azkaban for attacking muggles. Blaise and Draco were silent.

"This would implicate either Albus or Aberforth Dumbledore is the grandfather," Draco said; the latter wizard being well-known, so well-know that both Blaise and Draco thought it unlikely that Albus could be the grandfather.

"If Aberforth is still alive, we need to bring him in for questioning and testing," Blaise added before they returned to the office on Level 2.

Aberforth Dumbledore was still the owner of the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade. His age had started to catch up to him though and he preferred spending more time with his goats than bartending. After receiving the official notice to immediately come in for questioning at the Ministry, he was more irritated about leaving his solitary confinement than being questioned. The letter assured him that the case did not concern his goats, which he considered a relief.

The wizened man with his wispy white hair and slightly disheveled dress looked a bit out of place among the smart looking office workers in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He was greeted by Blaise Zabini, who explained to him why he was called in. Aberforth had not followed the papers that week so he was unaware of any of the events concerning Alice McNally. He said it was staggering impossibility that Albus or he ever had a daughter via a muggle, but he accepted the test either way.

While Draco went to the lab to run a direct descendent test, Blaise asked Aberforth to recall the year 1946, when Alice's mother was born. Stroking his white wiry beard, he could not recall anything unusual and accepted to take a memory potion for assistance. Still he could recall anything.

It was not long before Draco returned with the results. "Aberforth is not the grandfather," he said, watching Aberforth's face show a mild sense of relief that was immediately replaced with one of confusion.

Blaise chimed in, "That means, Albus Dumbledore was."

Aberforth contemplated the thought of his brother with a muggle woman. Impossible, or was it? He admitted to having a trying relationship with his brother, which grew worse after the death of their beloved sister, Ariana. Neither of them had any children, which he once admittedly regretted, though if Albus knew he had a daughter, would he not have cherished that?

"What happened to the daughter?" Aberforth asked curiously.

"She died when Alice McNally was a child." Blaise replied.

"Died?" Aberforth said surprised and saddened. "How?"

"We suspect her magical abilities developed later in life which led her to think she had mental problems. She was prescribed some muggle remedies and according to muggle police reports, she overdosed."

"That's too bad," Aberforth continued. "But you said her daughter is nothing more than a muggle too?"

"Not entirely," Draco interjected, "She's been put under an enchantment which made her magical abilities dormant from a young age. We are assuming it was done by your brother."

Aberforth proceeded to stroke his beard while thinking, "Ah, Albus would have been concerned about you-know-who. If she is alive today, then perhaps he made the right choice."

"If you cannot provide us with any other information," Blaise said, "Then you are free to go."

Aberforth looked curiously at Blaise, "What will become of her then?"

"She is being charged with violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and will be tried at Wizengamot," Blaise said.

"Merlin's beard that ridiculous," Aberforth said perturbed, "Obviously she knew nothing of the law before her run in with you."

"It's out of our hands," Blaise responded, not necessarily disagreeing. "We'll do our best to ensure she has a fair trial. That being said, you are her only living relative in the wizarding world. You may be called on to attend the proceedings."

"Well I suppose she is my grand niece after all." The old man made his adieus and left the Ministry looking a little more confused than when he came in. He would be at her trial; Albus would have wanted him there.

"This was unexpected," Blaise said to Draco after Aberforth left the room.

Draco nodded, though part of him had seen the relationship in her eyes, the same sparkling blue eyes. He thought back to Dumbledore's last moments on the Astronomy Tower, when he offered to help Draco. In those dark times, when Draco thought he had no options, he would have taken Dumbledore's offer. After looking into Dumbledore's eyes he believed it may be the only way out for him and his family. But it was not meant to be; Snape had showed up and finished the deed. There was no turning back after that.

"Last night I researched the enchantment Alice is under," Draco said, his eyes betraying his thoughts, "There's no way of lifting it. The spell has its own release mechanism that the enchanter decides upon casting. It will release at that point, or never."

"Interesting, not that I think the Ministry would want it lifted," Blaise considered the absurdity of the muggle suddenly gaining magical abilities. "Hopefully we can get her out of here without any harsh punishment, and with this new information, it should be possible. It's unlikely Dumbledore cast this spell for dark reasons."

"It would be highly unlikely. If she was a known connection to Dumbledore, Voldemort would have gone after her."

"Those were trying times," Blaise replied, thinking back to the end of his school days although he didn't linger. "The good news is it appears that our part in this case is closed, but I will need you to write the official testing reports."

"I can finish that today," Draco said.

"And…are you comfortable with lodging the muggle at your residence until the trial?" Blaise had to ask.

"That's fine. She's been no trouble." Draco realized he still felt slightly awkward expressing his acceptance of the task.

Blaise looked at his friend incriminatingly but let it pass. "Alright, but if it becomes trouble we could relocate her to the holding cell here; since it seems the press already assumes she's located off the premises."

"Good luck with them," said Draco mockingly, knowing the press would have a field day with this new bit of information.

"Another shining moment, I assure you," Blaise said in a deadpan voice that made Draco chuckle.

Blaise would prepare his second and final public statement that afternoon. Alice McNally, the muggle book writer, would become the enchanted muggle book writer with a famous wizard grandfather. Her trial had also been set by the Wizengamot Administration Office for the following Monday morning.

As expected this information set the wizarding media ablaze providing yet another tidbit of Albus Dumbledore's life that no one, not even Rita Skeeter knew. Of course, this piece of information excited no one more than the curly blonde-haired sensationalist, and she would push her way into the mix, hoping to get the scoop on Dumbledore's other, other life. She considered writing a second edition to her already bestselling biography, _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_, with a chapter on his previously unknown muggle relations.


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer_: All HP characters/references are property of J.K. Rowling.

* * *

Alice sat silently on the brown leather armchair near the fireplace. Her head resting on the back of her hand, her eyes exuded the deep contemplation that was going on inside her mind. On the small table before her were three _Daily Prophet _newspapers, the one from the evening past and two from that day. The news had removed her farther from any reality she had ever known.

That evening's _Daily Prophet_ ran the headline, "Dumbledore's Granddaughter? Muggle McNally Book Case Takes an Odd Turn." It detailed the public statement made by Blaise Zabini that afternoon, explaining her relation to the deceased wizard and the enchantment she was under. A picture of Albus Dumbledore completed the article. There Alice's dreams stared back at her; it was her grandfather, he was real, and his name was Albus Dumbledore.

She heard a knock at the door and the lock unlatch, but she didn't move. Draco returned home late that evening due to the breath of paperwork he had to complete for the upcoming trial. All day he thought of how to approach Alice with the news, he felt a great responsibility to let her know everything.

Draco walked slowly into the room, feeling apprehensive about approaching the seemingly lifeless form in the shadow by the fireplace. Upon seeing the newspapers sprawled out on the table before her, he knew part of the task he had come to do was already complete. She would have read about her grandfather being a wizard and about the enchantment she underwent that stole her wizarding potential.

Sitting down on the adjacent chair, Draco didn't speak but lowered his head in sympathizing silence. Alice felt comforted by his presence and appreciated the silent gesture, giving her time to talk if she chose to.

After a moment she spoke, her eyes were still transfixed on the fireplace, "I'm starting to answer questions about my life that I thought were unanswerable. I now know what destroyed my mother's mind." She then looked towards Draco whose head was still averted, "I had always feared sharing her fate. Perhaps this enchantment protected me."

Draco's head rose and his eyes met the seriousness of hers. She had taken a perspective which could have eluded even the most noted investigator.

"Nothing's certain but it's possible your mother developed her magical abilities later in life, which is a rare. It is more likely that you would have developed yours as a child, at least by age seven. This would have made you a candidate for schooling here. Dumbledore's intent was to protect you from physical harm."

"Physical harm?" Alice asked puzzled.

"Your grandfather was a very powerful wizard, perhaps one of the most. But you were coming of age during a time of great uncertainty…" Draco proceeded to give Alice a brief history of Voldemort and his return during the second wizarding war, although he stopped shy of discussing the full circumstances of Dumbledore's death. "…It can be assumed that you would have been a target for Voldemort if he was aware of your connection to Dumbledore."

Alice digested the information, further connecting events she had written about in her book, with the actual events that were going on in the wizarding world.

"I want to show you something," Draco said, rising from his chair, his body language urging Alice to follow.

They left the confines of the guestroom and proceeded to the opposite end of the corridor. There, a long torch lit stairway rose to the next level of the mansion. The corridor looked similar to the floor below but it contained a large set of wooden double doors on one side. This was the entrance to the mansion's grand library. Even before seeing the hardbound books lining the walls, Alice knew what the space was by its smell; that great musty smell of aged parchment. Alice's eyes wandered up and down the massive shelves of books that stretch from the polished wooden floor to the high coffered ceilings. She went over to the closest shelf and ran her fingers down the book bindings, not touching them, but using her fingers as a pointer to read each of their titles. So many books whose authors and titles she had never heard of, filled with information she had never learned; this room contained information of a whole other world, making her feel incredibly minute in her knowledge.

Draco watched Alice near the doorway and noted the grace in how she moved. She seemed to glide down the aisle of books, moving with purpose and poise. He had not thought of her as he would a muggle; she was intelligent, emotionally strong and beautiful. While he could never imagine admitting this out loud, he did silently to himself at that moment.

Alice finished perusing the long aisle and turned to see Draco watching her. "It's incredible," she said, her eyes still filled with wonder. She felt like she had stumbled upon the great library of Alexandria before its destruction.

"This collection has been in my family for generations." Draco said, his face betraying his relief at Alice's change in emotions from when he first saw her sitting by the fireplace. "I figured you'd want to read more about this world, since you are a part of it now."

Alice smiled at him, but then looked solemnly back at the shelves, "I suppose I am temporarily," she said, as she pulled out a book of interest entitled, _A History of Magic_, by Bathilda Bagshot. "The court could still decide to erase my memory," she said opening the tome in front of her.

Draco knew this was a possibility but he had not considered the odd state of mind this would produce for the one in that momentary limbo. "Blaise will do his best to make sure you have a fair trial," he said trying to sound hopeful.

"It's okay," Alice quickly added sounding more positive. "If I'm here now, I want to know as much as I can." She closed the book, holding it close to her chest, and started walking over towards Draco, who had not moved much farther into the room.

"You knew my grandfather, right?" Alice asked a bit apprehensive.

"I suppose. He was the headmaster at Hogwarts when I was a student." Draco responded, unsure what her next question would be.

"How did he die?" She had asked the question she had wondered about since her last meeting with her grandfather.

Draco put a hand to the side of his head, stroking it once as if hesitating for a moment. He then moved over to one of the armchairs near the library's enormous fireplace. With a flick of his wand, Draco lit a warm fire for the both of them. Alice followed him and sat adjacent, half in awe of the fire she saw created and half apprehensive about what he would say. Draco felt conflicted about his involvement so long ago, he was chosen to kill Dumbledore and even though he had not said the Killing Curse, he felt his involvement was no less dire.

He began by explaining Albus Dumbledore's long history with Voldemort. This led to explanations of the Dark Arts, the idea of blood supremacy, Death Eaters versus the Order of the Phoenix; he provided introductions to pertinent individuals, such as Harry Potter and Severus Snape. Draco felt particularly ashamed when discussing his and his father's role as a Death Eater, adding they came to have no choice but to obey the Dark Lord, who used their home as headquarters. Alice listened intently, digesting all the information as best she could without interrupting the young man. She could sense his involvement had given him much pain. She had known of his father's incarceration at Azkaban from the _Daily Prophet_ newspaper she came across so long ago. Draco was around 16 years old. He should have been enjoying his final years of high school, she thought, but instead he was brought into a war, given a suicide mission, only to live and be continually punished and humiliated into doing what was necessary to keep him and his family alive. Draco didn't have to explain these truths hidden under his explanation of events. Alice just sensed a deep remorse from him.

"That must have been awful for you and your family," Alice said as Draco finished.

He looked at her quite surprised. She would pity him? One who was not on the side of good? He didn't know how to respond.

"Yes, but…my family is pure blood, we held these views of blood supremacy, we thought that this new order under Voldemort was the right one." He said, as if trying to defend his abjectness.

"And many people lose their lives to such ideologies, in my world too," Alice replied thinking of racial and ethnic cleansings, mass genocides, and regimes of dogma. "But when you place that ideology besides your family, you know which is more important, which is real."

Draco looked into her sparkling blue eyes, seeing a wisdom that could have suggested better than a blood test that she was the daughter of Albus Dumbledore.

"You survived Draco, and your family survived," she smiled reassuringly. "I doubt I could have been that strong."

"You are very surprising, Alice, especially for a muggle," Draco said, breaking the glumness. "You did make a very large wizard cry."

He was referring to the man Alice attacked with pepper spray the day she was forcefully brought into the office.

"Well, never underestimate what muggles can do," her back stiffened and her nose slightly went up, "Believe me, there are worse things than toxins that cause temporary paralysis out there; just luckily not on the open market." She was glad to share a laugh with this man, who she had been so serious with.

Alice continued, "I'm sorry I made you share so much. I asked how he died because I knew he was going to die."

Draco's smile slowly left his face and a confused look washed over him. She knew? How?

Alice continued, "When my mother passed away, I suddenly couldn't speak; I was in shock. One night I had a dream where I met my grandfather, he comforted me during the worst time in my life. It felt real, but I awoke in my bed the next morning as if nothing had happened, but I could speak again. At the same time, my father, he just couldn't cope, and he moved us to California to start a new life. The dreams stopped when I moved, but would reoccur when I came back to Britain to visit relatives in the summers. It was like talking to an old friend and mentor, I learned so very much from him. The meetings ended shortly before his death and I could tell by his parting words, that he knew it was the last time. I always wondered how he knew."

Draco stared confounded by this, but appreciative that Alice had shared something very personal with him as he had with her.

"You never knew who he really was?" Draco asked.

"No," Alice shook her head. "I only knew he was my grandfather on my mother's side and that it was a dream. I desperately hoped it wasn't my sanity slipping. But I never felt compelled to ask his name, it was only today that I found out, seeing proof through a picture in the newspaper."

"You've had quite a week," Draco said, still admiring the incredible foresight Dumbledore carried, as well as his concern for those around him. Draco knew Dumbledore did not want him to strike the final blow, thus he made Snape promise to finish the deed. It was not until much later that Draco could fully appreciate him for that.

"Yes, but the pieces are finally starting to fit," Alice said, and she smiled warmly at Draco. He smiled back and they both felt a close bond had formed from sharing personal information.

"You can use the library tomorrow, while I'm gone," Draco said, glad he had brought her here. "Let me pull some selections for you though." He rose from his chair and pulled out his wand, thought for a moment, pointed it and with a flick, a book from the top shelf flew to him and he passed it to Alice, who was still not used to seeing levitating objects. The book was, _Hogwarts: A History_. "This book is about my school, where your grandfather was headmaster for around 50 years." Then Draco flicked his wand again and another book flew from an upper shelf.

Alice continued to watch the books fly, amused by the sight. Then she decided to ask him something that was troubling her.

"Draco," She said a bit unsure, "Could I make a request?" Draco stopped and looked at her. "I wondered if I could have access to my things, my laptop, my phone. I've been away for a few days, if my family were trying to reach me, well, they would suspect…"

After retrieving another book from the shelf, Draco looked at the worry in Alice's eyes. "I'll ask Blaise tomorrow," Draco said reassuringly.

"Thank you so much Draco," Alice said sincerely. "I don't know how I would have managed being alone in a holding cell."

As a good size stack of books accumulated on one of the study tables, Draco said, "This should keep you busy for a little while."

Alice laughed at the pile, which was considerably large. She decided to start with the first book she pulled, _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot. Draco and her returned to the two armchairs near the fireplace, to utilize the warmth and a wonderful light to read in. Draco had retrieved the book he found in Alice's flat, _The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry,_ and joined her in page turning. Occasionally they would come across a term that lay outside their realm of knowledge and they would ask the other of its meaning. It would spark a mini conversation that would end in more page turning. Occasionally they would look up at each other and smile warmly, hinting at their newfound friendship.

As the night wore on, Alice, aided by the warmth of the fire, the comfort of the chair, and a day of heavy emotions, fell asleep, resting her head in the corner of the chair's high back and side. Draco decided to take her back to her room instead of waking her. Using a levitating spell, he raised her out of the chair gently and floated her into his strong arms. He cradled the magically weightless form back to the guestroom where he placed her on the bed. He removed both her flats and placed them on the floor below. Alice stirred a bit, opened her eyes slightly, and with a look of gratitude she smiled sweetly at Draco and went back to sleep. Draco lingered for a moment more, looking at this woman he had just met, feeling a strange longing for her. Were his feelings appropriate? Should he have been this kind to her? He ended the night thinking of the acceptance they had shown each other while talking about their past and he felt good about it.


	18. Chapter 18

Alice awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the garden, reminding her that it was indeed springtime. She was still dressed in her outfit from the day before; her flats had been removed and were aligned at the side of the bed. She realized Draco had carried her there after she must have fallen asleep by the fireside reading in the library. The thought made her slightly embarrassed although it was also comforting. Ever since she met Draco, she had felt safe when he was nearby, especially while everything else in this world made her wearily uncertain.

A silver tray with her breakfast was on her reading table by the fireplace, having been placed there by the Malfoy's house elf prior to her waking. "How does he do that?" Alice thought, noting that again the house elf's entry into her room had not stirred her from sleep.

On the balcony laid that morning's _Daily Prophet_, again with a letter from the editor, Barnabus Cuffe, requesting an interview. Alice ignored it and turned to the paper's front page. There, much to her surprise was a review of her book.

_The book by incriminated and recently revealed granddaughter of the famous wizard, Albus Dumbledore, is worth a read for the sake of novelty. McNally's Hinting at Magic: 20__th__ Century Conspiracies and Possible Explanations, provides the wizarding world with a topsy-turvy, upside down look at the events that have shaped our prior century. It reminds us that those events weren't locked into the confines of the magical realm, but often spilled over into muggle territory and while all precautions were taken to cover it up, their unusualness did not get past everyone. This is where Alice McNally proves her bloodline, displaying the wit of her grandfather through her writing. For us wizards and witches, she asks questions that we of course know the answers to, but she, in her ordinary muggleness, provides thought out and reasoned responses that are close if not exact to reality. We cannot help but remain in awe of her efforts. Of the many books written on the recent wizarding wars, this may be the most unusual and most thought provoking._

Alice felt oddly elevated by the positive review of her book and then questioned why a review was even in the paper; wasn't her book confiscated by the Ministry? Was it suddenly making its rounds in the wizarding world without her permission? Is that allowed? While she bemoaned her lack of rights, she also relished the thought of her words being read, even if it wasn't by the intended audience.

After washing up and dressing, Alice decided to spend most of her day in the Malfoy's library. Finding the door unlocked made her beyond grateful to Draco for trusting her to leave the confines of the guestroom. The inside of the house was even more grandiose in the sunlight. She remembered the way through the hallway and up the stairs to the library's grand doors, where she found the pile of books Draco magically pulled from the bookshelf last night. They covered history, culture and even the basic fundamentals of magic. Not knowing where to start, she randomly chose one and began reading. She brought a notepad and a pen to take notes if she came across something she did not understand, knowing she would have the opportunity to ask Draco later of its meaning.

The library was extraordinarily quiet which was conducive to reading but it also made Alice aware of any sound other than her page turning. She thought of Draco's parents and hoped her presence in this room would not be a bother to them. Suddenly, she heard a panting and light footed trot come from the other end of the room. The Malfoy's large Irish wolf hound had entered from the side back door. Upon seeing Alice, he began galloping towards her, his tail wagging furiously. Alice could sense the large beast was approaching her for attention and not to attack. She smiled at the funny thought that a few sausages could have made her potential attacker a companion, who was now lowering his head for a pet. She cupped his big head in her hands and scratched behind his ears. The dog's tail continued to wag and its great mouth hung open as if smiling. Alice couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "I wonder what your name is," she asked the dog, knowing not to expect an answer.

"Fritz!" Yelled a stern voice from the backside of the room where the dog had entered. There, witnessing the entire scene was Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, former Death Eater and definitely no friend of muggles; Alice recalled all this from her former readings. The dog's tail stopped wagging and with a quick look of gratitude to Alice, it turned and ran to the side of Lucius, who had begun to walk towards Alice with an air of sovereignty.

Alice immediately stood up from her chair to properly greet him, although she half expected to be expelled from the library at that very moment.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy, I'm…"

"I know who you are," he said in a cold voice, his nose turned up slightly as he gazed at her.

He had walked over to the pile of books that lay on the study table nearby Alice, using the silver tip of his snake-handled walking stick to push some of the books off each other to survey what she was reading.

"I appreciate you allowing me to stay here sir," Alice said, trying to break the awkwardness.

"It is under the graces of my son that you stay," Lucius remarked, not looking at the girl. "I would not have consented to having the bastard muggle grandchild of Dumbledore in my house otherwise."

Alice was not upset by the remark, it was something she expected from the man and while demeaning and negative in tone, his nomenclature of her was correct.

Peering over to Alice again he added, "It's a pity such a great wizard couldn't have a proper heir."

Alice thought for a moment and said, "The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of the Arabia." She quoted the opening of a book she read by the famous evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, entitled _Unweaving the Rainbow_; it explained how truly lucky we are to be alive in biological terms.

Lucius simply glared at her, wondering if she was mad.

"It's a quote about the stupefying odds of genetic coding. Our DNA allows for greater alchemists than Nicholas Flamel, more powerful wizards than Dumbledore," Alice thought utilizing great wizards she just read about would be more effective than muggle historical figures, "But it's you are I in our ordinariness, that are here."

Lucius contemplated what she said; he was surprised her retort to his obvious bad-mannered jeering was instead unemotional intellectual blabbering. Meanwhile, Fritz the dog had made his way back over to Alice's side. He sat down next to her, looking to Lucius for a mark of approval over finding a new friend.

"Yes, extremely ordinary," he said with considered contempt as he took in the odd scene of his dog sitting next to her like a sentinel. "Carry on," he added, kicking back his walking stick in his hand and leaving the grand library by the main entrance.

"So I guess you're Fritz," Alice said looking down at the large dog sitting by her side.

If there was anything Alice learned in life, it was to fight ignorance with intellect. It usually worked. And while not counting that encounter a completely successful first introduction, she hoped the mere fact he allowed her to stay in the library meant she hadn't irritated the man too much.

* * *

With his part in the McNally case finished, Draco was free to assume his potions research in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. He had been out of that office for a few days but the vibe was the same as before, noisy, busy and mildly chaotic.

Making his way to his desk, he was greeted by Susie McClellan, the cheery senior assistant of the head Obliviator, who made it a point to have her morning chat with everyone. "Oooh," she chimed excitedly, "You're back! Our muggle book writer sure has been making the news, hasn't she? Heard the trial's going to be quite publicized."

"Is it?" Draco asked, actually curious to hear more from Susie, whose cheeriness verged on mild annoyance so early in the morning.

"Well, everyone wants to get a look at Dumbledore's granddaughter. Also heard she was moved from the premises, no one knows where the Special Cases Unit is keeping her," Susie said, slightly whispering. "The press sure is trying though!"

With that Susie turned on her heels and walked down the aisle of desks in her usual jaunty style. She never was much interested in having two-way conversations.

Draco hoped Alice's location wouldn't leak until the trial. The press had enough information on this story without needing to personally harass her for more. He felt oddly protective of the girl.

That day Draco would continue through his file research, making a decent amount of headway. The mini-break must have been good for him. He had found several unusual cases of potion mishaps that had potential for recombination. He also set up a meeting with Blaise later that afternoon via interdepartmental memo, in order to discuss giving Alice access to some of her personal belongings.

Blaise looked to be in a better mood than usual, most likely due to the fact that he could start a new case, one that didn't involve a muggle or press interference. He was also glad to see Draco, admitting he had enjoyed working with his old classmate the previous few days.

"How is everything? The muggle's not causing too much trouble on the home front, I hope." Blaise said, after they entered his office.

"No, not at all," Draco replied, "I had a request from her, however."

"A request?" Blaise mocked, "Like she's in a position to make request."

"It's a simple enough one," Draco said, trying not to sound defensive. "She'd like access to her things in order to contact her family."

Blaise's one eyebrow cocked slightly, "Well, I suppose they aren't of any use to us. We have all the information we need from them. But, when she does use them, you will need to keep an eye on her actions. We don't want her spilling anymore information to outside parties."

Blaise retrieved the box of electronic equipment that they had confiscated; it included her laptop, mobile phone and netbook. Draco was a bit confounded by the odd pieces of equipment, which looked like incredibly smooth silver and black metal books. Being a pure-blooded wizard, Draco's contact with the muggle world was incredibly limited. He had no clue how these machines worked or what they did. Taking the box, Blaise added another word of advice.

"The press has been trying their best to discover the location of her. So far they haven't expected Malfoy Manor, but keep an eye out."

Draco nodded, realizing perhaps for the first time, such press would add another sensationalist dimension to the story – The Malfoys housing a muggle, but not any muggle, the grandchild of Albus Dumbledore. It would sell papers and might make his parents consider disowning him. Wiping the dangerous thought from his mind, Draco, with the box of muggle technology under his arm, decided to return home to Malfoy Manor a bit earlier than usual.


	19. Chapter 19

_Disclaime_r: Just frolicking in the world of HP, own nothing!

_A/N_: I'm very humbled by the great reviews. It's nice to know people are enjoying reading this.

* * *

Alice had been in the library the whole day reading, taking notes and enjoying the company of her new companion, Fritz the dog, who remained contently curled by her feet. In more ways than one, Alice felt alive in that library. It was like diving into a Pandora's box of new knowledge. She couldn't believe the cover-ups that had taken place in history in order to keep the magical world secret. Just reading about the witch hunts made her reevaluate the hallmarks of religious history. In a way, it made her feel incredibly naïve, foolish to be on the side of the history takers, not the history makers. The divide was great indeed, yet it was there. And while it had been breached several times, it was the magical world who maintained the knowledge of the breach, and her world that had been denied the truth. Part of her wanted to believe it was for the greater good; the power inherent in the magical world was beyond dangerous and having two separate world orders would be preferable to one that would undoubtedly place a hierarchy of magical persons over non-magical persons. Though, was a wizard without its wand the same as a muggle without its technology? Could the shared knowledge have created a more progressive world for everyone? These were among the many questions she wrote in her notebook.

Draco had returned home early to find Alice relaxing in one of the library's reading chairs, her pair of heels placed neatly next to her and his father's dog, Fritz, curled in a ball below. The scene made him smile curiously.

"Oh hello," Alice said, noticing Draco entering the room.

Draco walked towards her, with the box under his arm. "I'm not even going to ask," he said, looking at Fritz.

"He seems to have taken to me," Alice replied, patting the dog on the head as she stood up and slipped her heels on.

"I was able to get what you requested," Draco said, placing the box on the nearby table. He noted the books and notes Alice had taken that day. She must have pulled several more from the shelves.

"Ah, that's great news," Alice said as she excitedly made her way next to Draco, stopping to meet his eyes with a smile. She had just remembered that last night he carried her to bed; she blushed slightly before saying, "Thank you so much."

Pulling out her mobile phone she pressed the button to turn it on, but it wouldn't respond. "The battery's dead," she said, a little disheartened. The phone had not been charged since the previous weekend.

Draco crossed his arms, "Won't work?"

"No," Alice shook her head. "Could we go back to my place? For just a little while?"

Draco looked at her curiously, "What for?"

"I need to charge it there," Alice said, "I promise it won't take long…I'll even take you out to dinner after." She realized she sounded a bit eager, and did she just ask him out on a date?

"Alright," he said, feigning suspicion. "Blaise warned me to keep an eye on your doings with this stuff."

Alice smiled mischievously, "Did he?"

With that, Draco picked up the box of muggle gadgets and offered his hand to Alice, who took it without hesitation. With a quick flash, the pair disapparated into Alice's third story flat. The place remained exactly as she left it, cluttered and disorganized.

"Sorry about the mess," Alice said embarrassed, "I didn't bother putting anything back after they went through my things." Not that Alice owned many "things." She had spent most of her money on books and journals, which cluttered most of the open space. She only spent frivolously on fashion, which poured from her tiny closet space. She cleared some books off a nearby chair for Draco to sit before finding the various wires she needed to plug-in her technology.

Draco watched her curiously as she plugged in several cables to her gadgets and into the wall. She turned on her mobile phone first to check and see if there were any messages. Sure enough, there was one from her father, who she would talk to at least once a week to keep in touch.

"I better give my father a call," she said to Draco, who had already begun reading a random book from her collection. He nodded in approval. At the same time, Alice had turned on her laptop so she could later check her email inbox. She noted her body's relief from the withdrawal symptoms she was getting from being away from her technology for a few days. Internet really becomes an integral part of your connection to the world.

Waiting through two rings, her father picked up the phone.

"Hey Dad, it's Alice," she said, glad he was available.

"Oh Alice, I tried calling you yesterday, is everything alright?" He said, slightly concerned, noting that Alice typically returned his calls sooner.

"Of course, my phone has been acting up. I actually didn't receive the message until today," she lied easily, not one of her favorite traits.

"You should get that checked…I talked to George and Marla, they were delighted to have you over the other night. They should have left for France by now."

"Oh that's right, they're going to be gone quite a while…" Alice talked to her father for about 15 minutes, while also going through her flat picking up misplaced items and putting them away. Even though Draco was there, she didn't feel uncomfortable talking freely in front of him. Draco simply listened to the conversation, noting that Alice seemed to have a good relationship with her father.

"Are you sure everything's going well. You're eating enough aren't you?" Her father asked before the end of the conversation; undoubtedly Aunt Marla had mentioned how thin she looked to her.

"Of course I'm eating Dad!" Alice said defensively. Despite being an adult, Alice's father always worried about his daughter, having been her primary caretaker since the loss of her mother. And now that she was out of school, living alone in London, and jobless, he worried more.

"If you need anything, especially money, you make sure you let me know." He said reassuringly.

"Don't worry Dad, hopefully a teaching position will come through for the fall," she said, knowing such a thing was uncertain in this economy, but of course, at the moment the concern felt far removed.

Hanging up the phone, Alice sighed slightly. Without her book being published, money could become a problem. Draco looked at her but said nothing.

"Mind if I check my email?" She asked, and Draco nodded, not really knowing what she meant by "email."

Sitting at her desk, Alice scanned her inbox, deleting less important messages, such as ones from academic list serves, while reading anything more directly sent to her. There was nothing overly pressing, which was a relief. A student in her graduate cohort had emailed her for an article reference, which she quickly looked up in her dissertation bibliography and sent it in a reply.

Draco watched as her hand moved with a detached piece of technology next to its main component; also noting the quickness with which her fingers moved over the keys that had letters on them. Alice noticed his interest.

"You've used a computer before, right?" She asked looking at him.

"Never had a need to," he said.

"Ah, this is considered a modern muggle necessity," she said rising from her seat with a smile. "Come here for a sec," she motioned for him to sit down in front of her computer.

He hesitated slightly, but his curiosity got the better of him and he sat down looking curiously at the bright screen in front of him. Alice had opened the _London Times_ homepage to see if there was any news worthy events in her absence. Lifting his right hand, she placed it properly on top of the mouse.

"This is your cursor, you can open, close, scroll," she spoke as she assisted him through the motions, her hand gently placed on top of his as she leaned in by his side.

Draco noted her soft touch and realized she smelled like citrus and tea. Moving their hands in unison, they clicked on articles and played news video. "Most people get their news online now, versus by paper," she said.

"Online?" Draco asked.

"The internet, it's a vast database you can find almost anything on," she said, opening another internet browsing engine. "Of course, with varying degrees of relevance…Go ahead, type in anything you want to find."

Draco slowly typed out the word "quidditch" in the search engine and clicked the search button. Nothing came up except for possible alternative spellings.

"Might want to try something more general," Alice suggested. Then, Draco typed in the word, "wizard." Numerous links filled the screen. He clicked on the "Wikipedia" option to find text about wizards as fictional characters in television, movies and literature. "Fictional characters? That's ridiculous," He mocked, also noting the equally ridiculous photos.

"I guess it proves a point not to trust everything you read on here," Alice said jokingly, noting how true that statement really was now.

After a few more amusing attempts at searches including Alice's name, which brought up a few articles and mentions of her, Alice asked, "Are you hungry? I know a great Vietnamese Pho place down the block."

"A what?" Draco didn't catch the name.

"Asian noodles. It's good, trust me," she said as she went to grab her spring coat from her closet.

"Alright, I'll try it," He said, willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"We can walk, it's pretty close," she added, once out the door. The sun had gone down and the street lamps were on, outlining the London block in shadow. It wasn't the best area, but for the price it was adequate and centrally located to everything.

Alice noted how Draco walked with his hands in his pockets, exuding a sophisticated demeanor. He felt dangerous in a cool way.

"It's right over there," Alice said pointing to a small family owned restaurant with Vietnamese writing on the sign. The place was packed with customers but they were able to sit at a table for two on the side.

"It's pretty busy," Draco said.

"It's usually like this, but that means it must be good," Alice winked, which made Draco smile.

After ordering, Alice said, "So I met your father today," thinking she wanted to say something to him before Lucius mentioned it.

"Oh?" Draco said a bit worried.

"Yeah, you definitely look like him," she said with another smile.

"Did he say anything rude?" He asked half-expecting what it was.

"Only that I'm the muggle bastard child of Albus Dumbledore, which pretty much is the truth. But not much more than that," Alice said, "He sort of just let me be."

Draco's face showed a look of mild surprise.

"He actually reminded me of my former philosophy professor; he used to rip up people's papers in front of the class if he didn't think them worthy," Alice said laughing, getting Draco to crack a smile.

"I apologize for him though," Draco said sincerely, knowing his father's incredibly condescending attitude.

"Oh, I can't blame him. I've read the newspapers, I know what my place is," Alice said unconcerned.

"I use to think I knew those things to, but realized how wrong I was," he said. "My parents perhaps have a harder time understanding that."

"I think that's true the world over with parents," Alice said.

"How about your father?" Draco asked, feeling a desire to get to know her better.

"He sometimes treats me like I'm still a child, but I think it'll always be that way. I'm lucky to have a close relationship with him though…"

Their order of two streaming bowls of pho arrived. They ate and talked, enjoying the food and the conversation, exchanging smiles along with more personal information about the lighter side of their lives. There was never an awkward silence or an uneasy topic; they simply enjoyed each other's company that night. In many ways they didn't feel like they were from different worlds at all, just different circumstances.

While walking back to Alice's flat to disapparate, they continued to converse, now discussing the oddities of their grade school education. "…Nah, we never were separated into different houses, but kids typically divided themselves into different social cliques, nerds, skaters, jocks, etc." Alice said, after Draco explained the four houses of Hogwarts, "That seemed to create enough conflict within the school. I bet you can't guess which one I was in." Alice put a few more of her clothes in a bag, along with her newly charged mobile phone and portable netbook. Then, intertwining her arm with Draco's, they disapparated back to Malfoy Manor.

"You know, that actually gets easier each time," Alice said, noting that she didn't feel as disoriented as usual.

"It does, doesn't it?" Draco agreed; his arm still intertwined with hers as they walked into the foyer.

Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were at the drawing room entrance just off the foyer witnessing the entire scene. Draco noticed their eyes on him before Alice did and he stood motionless, promptly removing his arm from hers.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Draco?" Nacissa said; while looking as if she was sizing up Alice's worth.

Alice noted Draco's reaction and quickly gathered her poise.

"Mother, this is Alice McNally," he said, "Alice this is my mother, Nacissa."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Malfoy," Alice said, with her hands clasped in front her; she figured a hand shake would be overstepping the bounds.

Nacissa nodded to Alice, but her eyes turned back to her son.

"And you've already met my father," Draco added.

"Yes, good evening Mr. Malfoy," Alice smiled to Lucius, who was less than amused.

Suddenly, Fritz the dog pranced out of the drawing room towards Alice, practically tackling her with excitement. Lucius's eyes went wide before they narrowed angrily. Alice steadied her balance and calmed Fritz down with a quick pat to the head. The dog's tail was on turbo but slowed down with her touch.

The scene, specifically Lucius's reaction, made Draco consciously muffle his laugh. Fritz was not known to be this friendly with guests, but obviously he had an affinity for Alice.

Noting the awkward silence, Alice looked at Draco and said, "I'll go to my room. Thank you for allowing me to use my things," referring to her technology. Then she turned to his parents and said, "It was nice meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy; it's incredibly kind of you to let me stay here." Before making her way up the staircase, she told Fritz the dog to stay. On her way she noticed a few of the framed paintings on the upper walls moved and she thought she heard muffled voices coming from them. She ignored it and promptly went to the guestroom to retire for the evening.

Lucius and Nacissa returned to the drawing room and Draco followed, knowing he wouldn't be able to avoid the lecture.


	20. Chapter 20

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucius asked angrily, after they entered the drawing room. "First, you open our house to a convicted muggle, then you give her free run of the house, and now you're taking her out!"

"I only took her back to her flat so she could contact her family and if you don't like her using the library, then I'll bring the books to her room," Draco said annoyed at his father's presumptions.

"Well at least we know she's harmless," Nacissa joined the conversation, "The press said she's enchanted so she can't use magic."

"She hardly knows anything about magic," Draco added, "She's only been in this world for three days."

"Her book would suggest otherwise," Lucius said dryly, not knowing the full details of the case.

"She actually figured it out on her own, without any inside knowledge. She's perhaps just as smart as her grandfather was," Draco said defensively.

"Bold claim," Nacissa said, though she was no fan of Albus Dumbledore, his intellect was legendary.

"I would stick by it though," Draco replied, noticing his father over at the wet bar pouring some spirits into three glasses for each of them.

Handing one glass to Nacissa, then one to his son, Lucius spoke, "She is still three parts muggle Draco, and one part squib, that does not make her much of anything."

Draco took the glass and a deep breath, his parents sadly hadn't changed. "Well, it makes her better than I am," he said in upmost sincerity.

Nacissa and Lucius remained silent, contemplating their son's words which shot a blow to their overblown pride.

"Perhaps you'd realize this if you didn't judge someone by their bloodline alone."

"You overstep Draco," Narcissa said cautiously, "Don't disgrace the family."

"I think we have already done that," he said solemnly.

Lucius felt slightly pained by his son's words; he had always felt solely responsible for their past troubles with Voldemort, for putting his son's life in danger, for almost getting them all killed. Those years were the worst in their lives and it took them a long time to rebuild. He was still proud to be a pure-blooded wizard, but it may have been his pride that put his family in that situation in the first place. He perhaps would never be able to admit this out loud, but he realized it deep down.

"Alright Draco, alright," his father said sounding a bit defeated. "When is this girl's trial?"

"Monday morning," Draco said.

"I suppose it does no harm to allow her some freedoms while here," Lucius said, trying not to sound too bitter.

Draco's mood suddenly lightened; did he hear his father right? He looked at his father with some hope and hastily said, "I appreciate it."

"However, if reporters start showing up at our door..." Lucius added, thinking of the embarrassment that could bring.

"I'm hoping to spare her from that as well," Draco said, betraying his concern for Alice over his family's reputation.

Both Lucius and Narcissa noted this, but decided to ignore it for the time being.

"Do you suppose they'll erase her memory?" Narcissa asked nonchalantly.

"It's uncertain," Draco averted his eyes from his parents; the thought of Alice's mind being obliviated made an uncomfortable knot form in his gut.

"Should be an interesting trial then," Narcissa said amused before broaching another topic of interest with her husband.

Draco finished his glass, excused himself and headed to his room. He was not one to willingly search his feelings, but in light of the evening's events, he had to. Alice was not what he would have expected from her kind; but then again he had never had much contact with or honest knowledge about muggles, only stereotypes and prejudice. She had fit none of his preconceived notions; she was smart, well-put together, and beautiful; does her lack of magical ability deflect from his attraction? Yes, attraction, he couldn't deny it was there.

Meanwhile, in the guestroom, Alice contemplated the subtle hints of prejudice she received from the eyes of Draco's parents. She had read about Death Eaters and their desire to rule over muggles; how they killed muggles for sport. It made her slightly sick to her stomach. Were these views still prevalent in magical society? Was she stripped of her humanity here? She remained unoptimistic about the trial's outcome; she was a muggle who knew too much. Not many like her had slipped through the cracks. Earlier that day she read a book she found in the Malfoy's library by "muggle expert" Blenheim Stalk, entitled _Muggles Who Notice_. Just the idea that someone could be an expert on muggles made her think of how compartmentalized non-magical folk were in this world. While some muggles had gotten away with witnessing magic, not many went on to detail the larger conspiracy accurately in a book. She even learned the British prime minister and presumably other heads of state were in on the secret too.

Her mind eventually wavered to Draco, which made her mood lighten; he was kind, honest, and extremely good looking. That night they had conversed on lighthearted topics outside the realm of her current predicament. For a few hours she had forgotten about the trial, about the possibility of losing her memory, about her ancestry. It was just about two people getting to know each other on a more personal level. "What a great time to have a crush on someone," she thought admonishingly, "Three days and I won't remember any of it!" She decided to call it a night and get some sleep.

* * *

The end of the work week had come and Draco reluctantly went into the Ministry of Magic to continue his research. His mind was undoubtedly preoccupied: he worried slightly about Alice encountering his parents that day at the manor, he considered the outcome of the trial, and he simply thought of her. Though he would mask his emotions as he normally did and he would play the part that was socially expected of the Malfoy's heir, to be cold, calculating, and uncaring.

Going down to the second level to meet Blaise Zabini in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Draco would be reminded of his artificial persona by passing Ronald Weasley in the main corridor. Weasley worked as an auror alongside Harry Potter, who had just recently become head of the Auror's Office. Hermione Weasley (formally Granger) also worked on this level, helping to improve the rights of non-human creatures. The "golden trio," as they were called, had revolutionized the ministry in many ways, and one way in particular was eradicating biased laws that favored pure-bloods.

Upon seeing Draco on the other end of the corridor, Weasley gave him a cold hard stare, non-verbally exuding his suspicion and mild contempt for the Slytherin. For a moment, Draco felt like he was back in his green and black school robes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He glared back at Ron, but decided to refrain from making any comment. Undoubtedly Ron would be extra curious as to why Malfoy was in his department and he might even look into it for his own nosy purpose. For Draco, however, he didn't want to be bothered. He had spent too much of his life battling against those Gryffindors that he hadn't much taste for it anymore. He had matured considerably over the years, but his reputation preceded any of these changes.

Blaise Zabini was prepared for Draco's visit; he wanted to lay out the ground rules for the trial on Monday. Getting Alice to the Ministry would be Draco's final task in this case.

"The trial is set for 9:00 am, though that could change depending on prior courtroom activities. It's best if you bring her in by 8. You'll need to use the Floo Network, which is standard procedure. I'll be stationed there to greet you. I do have to warn you though; there will be a fair amount of press present when you arrive in the atrium. If you prefer not to be involved, I could arrange to take McNally myself," Blaise thought it was his duty to offer Draco secrecy.

Draco, however, wanted to bring Alice to the Ministry for the trial; he didn't feel right about abandoning her like that, "No, I'll bring her in."

"Alright," Blaise was surprised that he declined, but accepted it, "After you arrive, we'll take her down to Level 10, to the waiting rooms. They'll be using one of the larger courtrooms in the dungeons, since this trial has garnered enough interest that several member of the Ministry are going to attend. Unfortunately, the Minstry's Public Relations department has also opened it up to a few members of the press. They hope it'll convey that we appropriately handle these situations."

"So they plan on making it into a show of Ministry competency," Draco said a bit perturbed.

"Something like that," Blaise noted Draco's concern since it was also his own. His role as head of the Special Cases Unit meant he was required to present the case's evidence to the court in order to assist with their ruling. Thus, it was also his competency that was on the line.

"The fact that she's Dumbledore's granddaughter is what complicates things; either she'll be convicted as a muggle or as a witch," Blaise added curiously, "It's for the court to decide, but you can see the intrigue. I don't think there's ever been a case like this."

Draco did realize the peculiarity of the case, as well as the current public interest in it; though it had grown far removed from the individual under question. Alice had only written a book and yet her crime warranted a larger than necessary trial. Draco thought back to his father's trial and the dark circular courtroom filled with discriminating and unforgiving eyes. He was not given a chance to bid his father farewell before he was carted off to Azkaban. Would Alice be shown mercy or would the Ministry wipe her mind immediately after, thus effectively clearing any possible mishandling of the case on their part.

Draco ended his meeting with Blaise knowing that the next time they met he would be turning Alice over to the court and perhaps, never see her again.


	21. Chapter 21

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing, just having a good time in the world of HP.

_A/N_: Thanks again for all the nice comments. I started this story to get some creative writing practice. This chapter is one of my favorites so far so please enjoy!

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Alice awoke Friday morning earlier than usual, noting her sleep was not coming as easily as the nights before. The situation weighed heavily on her mind now. At the beginning of this mishap, she forbid herself from lingering on its likely outcome. But the intellectual revelations along with her feelings for Draco crept in making it harder to be strong. Alice was never an emotional person; when her mother died she accepted death as a natural cycle of life and learned to accept tragedy as it came. Her father had worried about his ability to raise her without a mother and wondered if her love of books replaced her love of life. In a way this was true, Alice preferred raw data and information gathering to being socially involved, particularly when she was younger. However, Alice would flourish at university and became socially well-connected in her academic community. She was able to make friends and date, although she was never completely successful at the latter. She never met a guy who she thought warranted the emotional involvement needed for a healthy relationship. Even with Robert, the young engineer whom she dated on and off for almost two years, her feelings were far removed. In a way, finding him cheating with her best friend was an easy way out of an overrun relationship. She often thought it was because she was selfish, only caring about her own ambitions thus not being able to connect emotionally with anyone. At the moment, however, something deeply emotional attracted her to Draco. She noted her comfort level around him, her ability to share information with him that she would never share with anyone, and the amount of trust she currently placed in him. This was new for her. While the heaviness of losing all knowledge of this world troubled her greatly, the thought of ending her time with Draco weighed on her just as much.

Rising from her bed, Alice heard a crack and saw Loister, the scrawny grey house elf, suddenly manifest by the fireplace, placing her breakfast tray on the small round wooden table. With another crack he disappeared. "That's how he does it!" Alice thought astonished, as she finally realized why she never heard the door creak open in the mornings. Above her plate of toast and fruit was a small scroll tied with a dark green ribbon. Opening it she read the impeccable handwriting.

_Dear Alice,_

_I apologize for my parents last night. Please continue to use the library today._

_Yours,_

_Draco_

Alice smiled at the unbleached parchment, reading it twice over, again realizing the feelings that welled up inside. After eating, she decided it necessary to meditate to clear her mind before filling it with information in the library. After practicing some yoga, which felt good on her joints after a restless night of sleep, Alice washed up, dressed in one of the outfits she brought from her flat last night, and headed down the corridor and up the stairs to the Malfoy's grand library.

Her stack of books was still neatly piled on the study table. One book, however, had been added, _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore _by Rita Skeeter. "Curious," she thought, wondering if Draco had pulled it from the shelf for her. The inside flap of the book cover contained information on its writer, Rita Skeeter, a professed author and journalist extraordinaire for the _Daily Prophet_. "Can't be too on point then," Alice mused sarcastically, noting the newspaper's tact as well as her general mistrust of tabloid writers. In any case, she decided to give the book a read. She knew very little about her grandfather and even what looked like a quickly composed although very thick scandal seller, it would provide a glimpse on a wizard whose reputation certainly exceeded anything she knew of him. Taking off her light grey and yellow trim t-strap heels and placing them next to her favorite reading chair in the library, Alice sat down crossed legged on its cushion and began thumbing the pages of her late grandfather's unauthorized biography, speed reading through most of it.

After about an hour, Fritz had made his way to the library and straight over to Alice, who greeted her furry friend with a quick scratch behind the ears. Alice assumed she would have a reading buddy for the day as the great hound curled himself in front of the armchair, stretching out his long limbs in front of him. It didn't take her long to finish the great tome of a biography, noting that most of it sounded like speculation rather than honest writing. It was written very shortly after his death when the reality surrounding that event was more speculative than known. She wondered if Albus's brother, Aberforth was still alive; if he was he would be her only living relative in the magical world.

Alice went over to the stack of books to peruse the ones left to read. Behind her, she didn't notice that Fritz had awoken from his mild slumber and became very curious in one of her heels. Feeling mischievous, the dog grabbed one heel in his mouth and with continuous wags of his bushy tail, he began prancing around the room hoping to grab Alice's attention. Alice noticed this puppy-like behavior as well as something dangling in the great hound's mouth. Quickly glancing to the side of the reading chair and back at Fritz, she realized it was indeed one of her shoes.

"Fritz!" She yelled, "Put that down!" She ran to grab the remaining heel by the chair, whether to beat the dog with it or protect it from a second theft. Fritz continued to prance through the great room, stopping a few times to goad Alice into following him by placing the shoe on the floor, sticking his tail in the air and hanging his great tongue out of his smiling mouth. Alice followed the dog hastily, "Those are worth more than you!" she cried, remembering how she blew a half a month's teaching assistant paycheck on them last term. She had a hard time being frugal when it came to fashion. Barefoot and with the other heel in her hand, Alice attempted to catch the hound as he jumped in and around armchairs and darted under tables. But with each run and stand-off, Fritz only got more excited; he knew he succeeded in getting Alice to play with him.

Then Fritz did the unthinkable, he ran out of the grand library doors. "No!" Alice muffled her cry and had no choice but to race after the dog. She couldn't bear the thought of one of her favorite shoes being buried somewhere in the Malfoy's incredibly large garden. Quickly rolling up the bottom cuffs of her extra wide leg trousers, Alice ran out the library doors to see Fritz stationed at the end of the corridor waiting for her to follow him. "Fritz! Stay!" Alice said desperately, hoping he would obey her commands. Fritz, however, was not interested in staying. Picking the shoe back up, he wagged his tail and began racing down the steps to the second level of the mansion. Alice followed still barefoot, trying not to trip on her pants. She was determined but apprehensive; she didn't think Draco's parents would take kindly to her running through their home like that. With each corner she turned, Fritz was there waiting for her to catch up.

"This is not funny Fritz! Give me my shoe!" Alice yelled frustrated and slightly out of breath from having just run down a second floor of steps and several hallways. The manor was undoubtedly larger than she imagined and she started to realize even if she did rescue her shoe, finding her way back to the library was not going to be easy. Rounding another corner, she entered an incredible green room with glass ceilings and walls. It was adorned with white wicker furniture and a charming stone fountain whose mellow sound of splashing water would have relaxed all those there for leisure. The airy feeling of this room with its sunlight induced warmth was in stark contrast to most of the mansion, which felt dark and cold like an old museum.

Alice, despite noting the pleasantness of the room, was in no way feeling relaxed. Especially when Fritz ran around the center fountain a few times only to head out a slightly cracked side door that led to the Malfoy's perfectly manicured garden. Still barefoot and flustered, Alice tramped over a freshly mowed lawn of grass where just prior, Fritz had practically run down a very large albino peacock that clumsily flapped itself into the air in order to avoid the dog's charge. Fritz's frolicking stopped for a moment, as he stood in front of an arched entryway in the center of a intricate rot iron gate. He placed the now slimy shoe in front of him and looked at Alice who was standing several meters away in the middle of the lawn. This time, however, Alice did not stop and stare. Instead, she started sprinting towards Fritz who, startled, hastily grabbed the shoe and jumped through the gate's open archway. Alice's flight allowed her to catch up with the hound and she could have almost grabbed his tail when she suddenly slipped on one of her pant's cuffs, which had fallen down during the quick motion. The tumble was exacerbated by two stone steps that were beyond the archways entrance. Luckily she landed in soft dirt, the brunt of the fall taken by her forearms which were now soiled along with the bottom of her pants. "I am going to kill that dog," Alice mumbled under her breath.

The long plot of dirt was the beginning of the Malfoy's exotic flower garden and coincidently, Narcissa Malfoy was there tending to her Eastern snow roses, witnessing the entire pathetic scene from behind the flower bed.

"Oh dear," Nacissa said solicitously, taking out her wand in order to magically retrieve the stolen shoe from Fritz who had stopped to look at his fallen compatriot in hopes that she would get back up and resume the chase.

Alice had propped herself on the stone step she had tumbled over, brushing off her arms and pant bottoms. Luckily nothing was broken or scraped, just dirtied. She also retrieved the one shoe she was carrying before the fall, which had flung in the dirt as well.

From the garden's side came Nacissa, her gloved gardening hand holding Alice's stolen, slimy shoe. Her face showed slight look of concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked Alice, who looked horribly defeated sitting there on the step.

Upon hearing the voice of Mrs. Malfoy, Alice stood up quickly and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I was ah…"

"No worries," Mrs. Malfoy said, "Fritz has already taken and mauled three of Lucius's shoes before burying them in this garden," She said handing Alice back her one shoe. Alice thanked her and after inspecting it, was relieved that it had no badly notched teeth marks in it.

"I had to do three replication spells so Lucius didn't find out," she said with a slight smile. "Believe me, that dog would not call this place home if Lucius knew. But he is still a puppy, what can you do?"

Alice laughed slightly at the thought of this and said, "I'm starting to see the utility of magic."

"You really don't know any magic, do you?" Nacissa asked and Alice shook her head, thinking she would not be in the awkward situation if she did. "What a horrible curse to be put under," she added, her mind not fathoming that a life of a muggle could be pleasant. "Well come along, you should get washed up," Nacissa said, motioning for Alice to follow her back into the green room.

Once there, Nacissa gave Alice a large damp towel, which she used to clean off her arms, feet, pants and shoes. Luckily her pants were a dark grey and the soil left very little markings. She felt much better as she slipped her now clean shoes back on her feet. Narcissa had removed her gardening gloves and was washing her hands in the nearby wash basin. Fritz had also followed, yawning from his current boredom.

"I really appreciate your help, Mrs. Malfoy. I wasn't willing to part with these shoes," Alice said.

Narcissa smiled, "I quite understand that; if Fritz had taken any of my shoes I would not have been so kind either. And those look like nice shoes." If there was anything the two women had in common it was a fashionable sensibility. "I don't normally like muggle attire, but," she said considering Alice's modern sophisticated wardrobe, "Your dress isn't bad."

"Thank you," Alice said taking it as an indirect compliment.

Loister the house elf had appeared holding a tray with a pot of freshly brewed tea. Narcissa told him to return to the kitchen and prepare tea for two.

"Well, sit down," Narcissa told Alice a bit forcefully, after going over to a round glass table with a few white wicker chairs placed around it. "Now that you're here, you might as will join me for tea."

Before she even sat down Loister had returned with a large tray that held all the accoutrements of a traditional English tea, including freshly baked scones.

Taking a scone and reaching for the raspberry preserves, Narcissa asked Alice, "Now who made those shoes?"

The two women talked about the ins and outs of fashion; Alice asking about witch fashion and what was currently in style, while also explaining the broad and fast changing fashion industry in the muggle world. Narcissa, who often acted disinterested to those outside her social circle, was thoroughly enjoying the conversation.

"If you manage to keep your memory, I might make you promise to take me shopping at one of these muggle stores," Narcissa said, actually considering the curious adventure.

Alice smiled at the thought of shopping with Mrs. Malfoy in the West End. The woman was actually more pleasant than she expected and she admired her sophisticated personality. She could tell the Malfoys were old money but they definitely were not old on style.

After a lengthy discussion on fashion Alice said, "I adore this room, it's so different from the rest of the mansion."

"That's because I decorated it," Narcissa said proudly, "Of course, I couldn't overhaul the entire place, it's been in the Malfoy family for centuries, but I demanded to have a space I could tamper with."

"It's perfect," Alice said not lying; the room really exuded the perfect setting for an afternoon tea.

The unexpected compliment made Narcissa quite charmed with Alice. A funny thought came to her mind of encounters with Draco's former girlfriends, which Narcissa occasionally invited over for tea if there was a hint that the relationship was going anywhere. To her they were always complete twats who seemed more impressed with Draco's money than anything else. Not having a daughter of her own, these lunches stood out in her mind and she never truly found herself enjoying any of them until today. Not that she suspected anything between Alice and Draco, however.

"You've toured the mansion, haven't you?" Narcissa asked curiously.

Alice shook her head, "No, not if you count running after a dog touring."

Narcissa laughed slightly and as the idea approached her she said, "Well, let's remedy that."

Having finished their tea, which Alice found to be the best tea she's had in a while, she followed Narcissa into the mansion. Alice could tell Narcissa had done this tour before, since she could describe each room's purpose and history quite well along with its various artifacts; but knowing Alice's preference for her decorating style, every now and then Narcissa would let in a, "It's ghastly, isn't it?" or "I've never really liked this room. Reminds me too much of my mother-in-law." To onlookers, it may seem like they were old friends gossiping.

As they gradually made their way back to the foyer at the manor's entrance, Narcissa said amusingly, "I haven't had that much fun touring this overgrown storage heap before," referring to the manor's plethora of antiques, "You really must join us for dinner tonight."

"Oh, I couldn't impose," Alice replied, thinking Mr. Malfoy may not enjoy that.

"No, I insist," she said firmly.

"Alight," Alice smiled; this day was certainly outweighing her expectations.

"I'll let Draco know when he arrives home," Narcissa added.

Alice nodded and said, "Thank you again, Mrs. Malfoy, I really had a lovely time."

"Call me Narcissa," she said, feeling that the proper title was incompatible with their afternoon bonding over fashion and home décor.

"Thanks Narcissa," Alice said again before going up the stairs.

There were still a few hours before Draco would return home from the Ministry. Alice decided to retrieve a few books from the library and bring them back to the guestroom. As time passed, she decided to change into something more appropriate for dinner with the Malfoy clan. She was actually a bit nervous about this. Even though Narcissa was exceedingly pleasant, her past experience with Mr. Malfoy verged on disastrous. She couldn't imagine he'd consent to this dinner, but undoubtedly with the way Narcissa was, he wouldn't have a choice.


	22. Chapter 22

"You what?" Lucius yelled angrily after hearing the news that his wife invited Alice to dinner, "Have you gone mad woman? Spending an entire afternoon with a muggle? Inviting her to dinner?"

Lucius had just arrived home from work. Since the second wizarding war he had been pursuing several business enterprises for the sake of having something to do with himself.

"She's really quite pleasant," Narcissa assured, "And she isn't a complete muggle in any case."

A moment later Draco arrived home from the Ministry, looking a bit weary from an undoubtedly long and overly event filled week. He entered the drawing room to see what all the commotion was about.

His father spoke, "Your mother's gone mad."

"Don't listen to him," Narcissa said quickly, "I was just telling your father…" She stopped, noticing the weary look on Draco's face, "Oh, is everything alright?" Narcissa was always concerned about her son's well-being.

"It's been a long week," he said, trying to look more energetic.

"Well, you should wash up for dinner," Narcissa said, still a bit worried. "And make sure you bring Alice with you when you're done."

Draco's face immediately perked up, "What?"

"Oh you heard me," Narcissa said firmly, "I spent the afternoon with the girl and invited her to dinner, no matter what your father wants," she flashed a nasty look at her husband.

Draco headed to his room to wash up, still in shock that his mother spent the afternoon with Alice and that it ended well-enough for an invitation to dinner. As dinner time approached he headed to the guestroom and knocked on the door. Alice opened it knowing Draco was on the other side. She had changed into a simple but stunning bell sleeve dark grey sweater dress with a scoop collared neck and tie ribbon waist. A small patch of abstract white peonies graced the lower front of the skirt. She had pulled her hair up off her neck which seemed to give her slim figure even more grace.

Before Draco could speak, Alice said smiling, "I guess it's time for dinner?" Her eyes sparkled, acknowledging that he was welcomed sight after a very interesting afternoon.

Draco smiled back at her and said curiously, "I don't know how you did it."

"Ask Fritz, if he hadn't stolen my shoe I would have never been out in the garden meeting your mother," Alice's voice grew a bit hushed as they walked down the corridor towards the grand staircase. "I quite like your mother," she said, "She has a great sense of humor."

Draco's initial shock of Alice spending the afternoon with his mother was still present, "And I'd been worried all day that you'd get into trouble."

Alice thought about how that probably would have been the case if Narcissa hadn't been so kind to her after her tumble. Instead of defending herself to Draco she said, mildly flirting, "You've been thinking about me?"

Draco felt heat rush to his cheeks, but before he could say anything they had ended the staircase and were heading into the drawing room to meet Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, who were waiting there as before, still arguing.

Lucius was not happy to see Alice, who he saw as apparently charming both his son and his wife into her grasp. For him, there was a small possibility that she was a witch.

"Hi Narcissa, good evening Mr. Malfoy," Alice said as she entered.

"Oh Alice, again, I like your style," Narcissa mused over her dress, she quickly grabbed Alice's arm to guide her into the grand dining room.

Lucius's eyes flashed over to his son's, who still looked a bit confused by his mother's acceptance of Alice. The two men followed the odd duo as they started discussing preferences of fabric by season. After sitting down in the dining room along the one end of a large mahogany table, Narcissa decided to start up the conversation.

"So Alice, what does your father do?"

"He's a financial advisor for an international firm." Noting the mild looks of confusion as to what she meant, she elaborated, "He advises people with their money and helps them invest it; another name for it is stock broker."

"Interesting," Lucius said haughtily, "Is there money to be made in that?"

"Yes, they're paid at ridiculous increments," Alice said, perhaps not hiding her contempt for salary differences. She knew she would never make half as much as her father did despite her lengthy and costly education. "About ten years ago he moved up to a VP position in the firm," she said a bit proudly. "He keeps saying he'll retire and with his assets, he should have done so ages ago, but I think he enjoys working too much."

"Sounds familiar," Narcissa remarked snidely before rolling her eyes over at her husband who still bothered getting himself involved in various business ventures.

"What do you expect us to do, sit at home all day?" Lucius said snidely, intentionally getting back at his wife.

Narcissa ignored him and asked, "And what about your mother, what did she do before she died?"

Draco shot his mother a quick glare, as if to say she was being too nosy.

But Alice was not fazed and liked talking about who her mother was prior to her mental illness, "She was an evolutionary biologist who studied population genetics. She actually gained a tenured position at the University of London. I was only seven when she died, but she already had me reading Darwin's _The Origin of_ _Species_ and I think I would have studied science too but somewhere along the line I became more interested in the history of science."

"You come from a long line of intellect then," Narcissa said, slightly impressed.

"I suppose so, now that I know my grandfather was quite bookish," Alice said. "It is nice to know that I come from a line of teachers."

"You must have read Dumbledore's biography then?" Lucius said deviously, having been the one who placed Rita Skeeter's _Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ on the library's study table in hopes she would find it and read certain distasteful bits about her grandfather.

Draco shot his father a look that was equally incriminating as the one he sent to his mother earlier.

Alice now knew it was Lucius who provided the book. "The book by Rita Skeeter, self-proclaimed author and journalist extraordinaire?" She said remembering the author's self-description on the inner flap. "I did. It was actually very interesting and gave me a real sense of the magical world's social interests. I was going to ask Draco if Aberforth Dumbledore is still alive." It was obvious that Lucius's plan to insult Alice via book had backfired.

Draco looked at Alice, "He is. He was actually called into the Ministry this week. We assumed he was your grandfather."

Narcissa laughed and said defensively, "That goaty man, Alice's grandfather? Just look at Alice and you could tell he is not."

"He's sort of the opposite of his brother," Draco said rubbing a hand through his hair wearily, trying to clean up after his mother's remark.

"I should very much like to meet him though, seeing how he is my only living relative in the magical world," Alice said.

"I could take you to meet him tomorrow," Draco said.

"Willing to risk Ministry punishment Draco?" Lucius asked.

"Since when are we concerned with the Ministry's rules father?" Draco said characteristically, "Besides, we would be discrete."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Narcissa said.

Alice interjected, "It's only a passing thought. If we were caught it would be worse than all the impositions I've given you and you do need the Ministry to carry out your current research."

"She is right Draco," Narcissa said.

"If I somehow manage to get passed Monday with any recollection of it, then, well, it would be something on my to do list," Alice said, her face feigning optimism.

"Maybe you'll get lucky dear," Narcissa said optimistically, perhaps sensing for the first time Alice's awkward situation.

"Unlikely," Lucius said almost imperceptible.

Draco shot his father another incriminating look.

At this moment the feast was served and the topic was hastily changed. During the rest of the meal the conversation remained more congenial. Draco talked a little about his research, Narcissa about her gardening and even Lucius mentioned some current business prospects. It was the type of conversation Alice would have expected from a normal family dinner despite being in the wizarding world. There was a real effort on the side of the Malfoys not to say anything demeaning about muggles. Afterward, they would all end up in the drawing room with glasses of elf-made wine.

Alice and Narcissa chatted together by the fireside with Fritz the dog curled up nearby, while Draco and Lucius proceeded to discuss various topics by the wet bar. There was a moment when Draco's eyes peered over at Alice, whose form was highlighted by firelight as she happily conversed with his mother, and he noticed how right the scene felt. He definitely liked this girl and he wondered if the entire situation was different, if Alice was not a muggle, not about to get her memory erased, would she be the one? Never before has his mother approved of or even minutely liked any of the girlfriends he had brought home. Of course, his father would never be keen with the fact that she was not a pure-blood. These thoughts swirled around in his mind and before he knew it, the night had approached and Alice was excusing herself saying if she drank anymore she would lose her manners. Thanking the Malfoys and saying goodnight to Draco, Alice left for the guestroom.

"I really like this one, Draco," Narcissa said jovially, sounding like she had a little too much wine and thus was confusing the situation.

Lucius then looked sternly at Draco, "Don't think we're oblivious, and know that I don't approve."

Not expecting this remark, Draco said, "Don't assume anything father, and I wouldn't throw books at her like that."

Lucius raised his one eyebrow, "Indeed, she's smarter than she looks. Besides, only two more days and it's over."

Narcissa had gotten up from the chair and placed her delicate hand on Draco's shoulder, "I have a good feeling about the trial son, a good feeling."

Draco was momentarily speechless and wondered whether his mother was intoxicated or actually purveying some foresight.

As they each retired to their beds, Draco and Alice, though separate, had the same thoughts - If only another place and time. Their current emotions were incompatible with the situation at hand.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thanks for all the recent reviews. I will try to make the following chapters a bit longer.

* * *

Alice was awoken by a low knock on her door. Still in her bed robes she wearily answered it to find the scrawny house elf Loister standing there nervously fidgeting his hands together. "Master Draco requests you to join him for breakfast in the kitchen in a half an hour."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

"It is my duty as a humble servant of the great Malfoy family to bring the message," he said humbly.

"Right, well thank you anyway," she said before closing the door. For some reason the creature unsettled her along with the notion that there were indeed giants, dragons, werewolves and goblins that existed in this realm. It was as terrifying as it was wonderful.

Shuffling through her clothes she realized she would have to make another trip to her flat tomorrow to get an outfit to wear for the trial. The trial, it was still hard to fathom. She hoped she could ask Draco today about what to expect, since she knew he had witnessed his father's trial so many years ago.

Alice remembered the way to the kitchen thanks to the manor tour she received yesterday from Mrs. Malfoy. There Draco was sitting alone at a square island that was already full of plates of various breakfast goods such as toast, fruit and muffins. Draco, who was dressed in more casual attire, a white linen shirt and dark grey slacks, was reading the morning's _Daily Prophet_ newspaper. This made Alice realize that she hadn't received a paper yesterday or that morning.

"Good morning," Alice said as she propped herself up on the bar stool across from him.

Lowering the paper, Draco smiled, "Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"Thanks to the wine. I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you last night," Alice remembered how unexpected and unplanned the dinner had been.

"Not at all. It turned out better than I expected," He wasn't joking either.

"I thought so too." Alice grabbed a small green apple from the fruit bowl that sat in the center of the table. "May I eat this?" she asked, remembering her manners.

"Certainly," Draco replied, amused by her choice, seeing how it was his favorite fruit.

"I noticed my newspaper delivery stopped," Alice said looking at the _Daily Prophet_ on the table.

"Oh that, father caught the owl and is holding it until the trial. He's worried it might be tracked."

"Probably a good idea," Alice was still not completely sure how this whole owl postal system worked. "Any news I should know about?"

"I'm not sure if it's worth reading," Draco sounded concerned and he pushed the now folded paper slightly off to the side.

Curious, Alice picked it up and immediately saw an article by Rita Skeeter, the "author and publisher extraordinaire," entitled, _Who is Alice McNally?_

_Alice McNally is for all intensive purposes a muggle. She was raised in the muggle world by muggle parents, only to get a highly regarded muggle education. That her grandfather was one of the most famous wizards in recent history does not subtract from this fact. Her mother, Albus Dumbledore's bastard daughter, was nothing more than a squib who committed suicide. Perhaps we can assume mental instability runs in the family. We all remember dear sister Ariana and why she was locked up all those years at the Dumbledore's residence. Is Alice McNally on her way to the muggle equivalent of St. Mungo's? This provides a curious new twist to the family's already peculiar history. More details will be revealed in a new edition of my book, Rita Skeeter's Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, second edition, coming to you in the lovely month of July._

"Wonderful, I get to be immortalized as mentally instable in one of her awful books without even a chance to refute it," but her sarcasm wasn't hiding her true emotions, looking off to the side she continued, "I have no control over anything right now."

Without thinking, Draco slid his hand on top of hers and grasped it lightly. He unfortunately knew exactly how she felt, having lived a life of no options under Voldemort.

Alice turned to look at Draco, the pain in her eyes were evident, but perhaps gathering strength from his touch, Alice composed herself and found a new concentration, "The trial, how can I defend myself? Are there lawyers or representatives? Can I speak?"

Draco slowly removed his hand and started folding up the newspaper, "You won't have a representative. Blaise will present the evidence and the Wizengamot will decide your punishment. Trials are usually short but they may let you speak."

"Good. It shouldn't be so bad," she said gathering some false optimism; "I passed my dissertation oral defense and I even had that philosophy professor I told you about on my committee."

Draco smiled at her remark; he admired her courage to meet this head on even if she was blanketing her fear.

"My mother is optimistic, about the trial that is," Draco said, "I don't know if it means anything, but…"

"You mean like clairvoyance?" Alice wondered if such a power existed.

"Perhaps, or just simple intuition," Draco didn't want to provide any false hope.

"Fascinating what you can do with just one gene," Alice pondered how magic went against all scientifically established laws of nature.

With the mention of genes Draco remembered what Alice said about her mother at dinner last night, "I didn't realize your mother was a biologist."

"Yeah, unfortunately most people only know how she died. When I went to university I gained access to some of the articles she had published. She was a good scientist. When you're a child you don't really comprehend what your parents do, they're just parents. But I'm really proud to say she was my mother, I just wish she could have gotten the right help when she needed it."

"It's rare for magical abilities to develop later in life. Muggle-borns, those born to non-magical parents, are detected by their underage magical use prior to the age of eleven so that they can receive schooling. Blaise did check the records, your mother was never on them."

"One thing has troubled me though. What if she was what you call a squib and it was my magical abilities that affected her? That drove her insane?"

Draco looked curiously at Alice. "It's possible, but you remember nothing?"

"No, but you have the power to erase memories right? I don't like the thought of me being my mother's mental downfall, but," Alice couldn't help but theorize, "What if my detection alerted my grandfather to my existence but he just got there too late."

"These are not easy answers," Draco said, "But what you say is plausible."

Alice's deep concentration was evident on her face, she wondered if her memory was tampered with or if she could blame her lack of remembering details on being too young. Thinking beyond that she wondered, "It's hard to imagine what life would have been like if I did study magic."

"I reckon Dumbledore made the right choice. It was not a good time to grow up at Hogwarts," Draco said assuredly; though it did make him wonder about this alternate reality, as she would have been around the same year as him. Perhaps sorted into Gryffindor like her grandfather, or Ravenclaw, which would seem to be a better match for her intelligence. Would she have been an enemy of his? Would his mission have been to kill her also?

"Most likely clairvoyance on his part," Alice reckoned, taking another bite of her apple. "You know, I haven't seen enough magic to deduce whether it is indeed a preferable existence."

"You haven't come to that correct conclusion yet?" Draco scoffed. Then taking his wand out, he charmed the empty dishes to levitate over to the sink and wash themselves.

"Now that's definitely useful!" Alice laughed. "No wonder you guys don't use electricity. The best we can do is the dishwasher, but you still have to put them in manually."

Smug as ever, Draco placed his wand on the table and he grabbed a green apple from the bowl to eat. Curious, Alice picked up his wand to inspect it.

"But this is just a piece of wood," she held it as if it was a rare specimen in a laboratory.

"It's not just a piece of wood," Draco shifted in his seat a bit; no wizard was entirely comfortable with others handling their wand. "It acts as a channel for magic to go through. Wands are quasi-sentient, they choose the owner. And the core contains a magical substance; this one has a dragon heart string inside."

"Do you always have to use it? Can't you do something magical without it?" Alice implored, pointing the tip of the wand towards Draco.

"Well, advanced wizards can," He retorted, crossing his arms at her gesture.

"Prove it," Alice replied mischievously, wondering if he would take this challenge.

Arms still crossed, Draco's eyes narrowed curiously on Alice who was still pointing his wand at him, "You think I'm advanced?"

After a moment, Alice shrugged, "I guess not then."

Suddenly, Alice's tea cup burst into flames and began hovering and spinning in circles. Startled, Alice jumped from her seat, almost knocking the barstool over. "I stand corrected," she blurted and as the flames extinguished and the tea cup landed on its saucer, she calmly handed the wand back to Draco.

Draco took his wand quickly and smiled smugly, noting his amusement at her reaction. Alice sat back down and couldn't help but smile, even if her heart was racing a bit at that moment. She felt heat rushing to her cheeks, a bit embarrassed by it all.

Suddenly a loud buzzing and musical noise sounded. This time Draco shot up from his barstool. It was Alice's mobile phone, which she had placed in her pocket in case someone tried to contact her.

"It's just my phone," she explained, amused by his reaction. Pulling it out, she noticed that no name or number was listed and she debated whether or not to answer it. She looked at Draco who wasn't concerned with Alice speaking to her relations like Blaise might have been. Hesitant, Alice pushed the answer button.

"Hello."

"Is this Alice McNally?" an older man on the other end inquired

"Who's asking?" Alice was already suspicious and Draco could notice her growing uneasiness.

"Why Miss McNally, this is Barnabus Cuffe, editor of The Daily Prophet," he crooned in confidence of his title.

"How did you get this number?" Alice asked nervously, she tapped on the newspaper lying on the table to alert Draco who it was.

"No worries Miss McNally, it's not often I get to use muggle technology to conduct an interview."

"Interview? Consented by whom?"

"Ah Miss McNally, no need to be shy. We are quite enjoying your story and would like to get your opinion on your upcoming trial."

"My opinion?" Alice looked for approval from Draco, who shrugged his shoulders as if saying to go ahead.

"Well yes, what are your feelings about the upcoming trial? A brief statement would do lovely for this evening's paper."

"Okay, I'll be brief," Alice composed herself and gathered her thoughts before beginning her tirade, "My emotions aside, Mr. Cuffe, it's the principle of it. To be tried for intellectually theorizing is to go against all the tenants of my world; but for your world, it is a crime for muggles to know too much. It is not a matter of simply a mind being erased, but a human right taken away. The same goes with rights to intellectual property. I know of my book making its rounds in the wizarding world and I suspect you are behind it. If I do manage to bypass punishment, I will fight to get the rights to my book back. That's all I have to say. Good day sir." With that Alice hung up the phone, her tone was sharp and precise and she felt slightly vindicated.

Draco couldn't help but admire her clever shrillness, "Well, I think you had your say."

Alice smiled slightly embarrassed, "Too much huh?"

Draco shrugged, "You're right about your book. He is making a profit off of your work. Now," he paused while rising from his chair, "Go get your things, there's somewhere I want to take you today."

Alice looked at him curiously, "Where?"

"I'm not going to tell you, go and I'll meet you in the foyer," he replied firmly but with a slight smile.

Going back to the east guestroom, Alice checked her hair in the mirror, and then grabbed her spring coat. She had no idea what Draco had in store, but she was excited to leave the confines of the manor.

Draco had finished off his outfit with a black vest and light blazer. Alice liked how sharp he always looked, not many young men looked that put together these days. He was also carrying a long black hooded robe.

"Here," Draco said handing Alice the black robe. "Put this on."

Alice draped the fabric over her, putting her arms through each of the wide sleeves. She noticed the green and silver emblem sewn on the front. It had a snake and said "Slytherin."

"Are these your school robes?" Alice inquired, but before she heard a reply Draco had pulled the hood up to conceal her head.

Inspecting her like a self-made work of art he proclaimed proudly, "This should work." Then sliding his hands from the sides of her hood down to her arms, he disapparated them both out of the manor and right outside the entrance of Hogsmead.


	24. Chapter 24

"Where are we?" Alice inquired looking at the entrance to a quaint village. The cobbled street was lined with stone brick shops and rickety houses. She felt like she was stepping back in time with how antiquated it looked.

"This is Hogsmeade, the only all-wizarding village in Britain," Draco said.

"Are you mad? What if we're discovered?" Alice exclaimed, pulling her hood farther over her head as they began to walk.

"Stay close," Draco said, undeterred by the risk.

The spring breeze was chilly and Alice correctly guessed that this village was located high in the mountains somewhere. The long slightly slopping street was lined by two story shops creating a slight wind tunnel effect. Alice held her hood up tightly, extremely worried it would slip and she'd be seen. Her picture had been in the _Daily Prophet_ for the last several days, and with its wide distribution throughout wizarding Britain, she was certain her face would be recognized. However, she couldn't help herself from peering into the shop windows in order to catch a glimpse of this new world. She read the name "Honeydukes" and looking into the windows she saw colorful floating rock candy and swirling sticks of licorice; a candy shop she presumed. It was full of youth dressed in casual clothes.

"Is there a school nearby?" Alice asked Draco in a hushed voice as they walked.

"Yes, Hogwarts is to the southwest of here," he replied, his pace quickened.

They were next to a large pub called The Three Broomsticks when a trio of students neared by, they were obviously heading to the pub.

"Hoi, Professor Malfoy!" A teenage boy yelled, having spotted Draco from afar.

Draco had obviously not counted on being reprehended by students; he slightly hesitated before turning around to say hello.

"Moderna, Higgins, Zarthy," Draco casually greeted all three of the boys by their last names. Alice remained by his side but didn't turn around.

"Are you going to be lecturing again for Slughorn this week?" Higgins asked eagerly.

"No, not this week. I apologize but I'm my way to meet someone," he tried sounding urgent.

"Hey, who's the Slytherin with you?" Zarthy asked, wondering which of his classmates was hanging out with the professor.

Moderna, the largest of the three boys, grabbed Alice's arm, pulling her around. Unsuspecting and caught off-balance, Alice's hood slipped off slightly.

"She's not a Slytherin," Moderna noted, obviously they were all from the Slytherin house.

"Hey, isn't she…" Higgins began.

Removing his wand quickly, Draco waved it in front of them and quietly said, "Confundo." Each of them blinked their eyes and looked around at each other. Before they could speak, Draco had taken Alice by the hand and started walking again.

"What did you do?" Alice said, a little confused herself.

"A confundus charm, they won't remember seeing you or me for that matter," he said, determined to keep Alice moving.

Surprisingly unfazed by another bout of magic, Alice asked, "They called you professor, do you teach?"

"On occasion I substitute teach for the potions professor here, it's amazing they actually still let me on grounds," he said sarcastically, "We're almost there."

Alice saw a dingy building up ahead, with filthy windows and a worn sign hanging from a rusted grid iron pole. Badly stained white paint spelled out the place's name, Hog's Head.

"Stay close to me, this place has a bad reputation," Draco said as he opened the door.

"Hey, no students allowed," An old man from behind the bar yelled, assuming Alice was a student from her robe. A few of the customers looked over, but uninterested they returned to their conversations.

"She's with me," Draco declared, as he approached the old man, who instantly recognized him.

"Is there a problem?" Asked Aberforth who placed the towel he had been using to wipe down the bar on the countertop. He assumed it had something to do with his previous visit to the Ministry.

Alice noticed Draco whisper something imperceptible, and the old man's weary eyes instantly went over to her though she was still cloaked under her hood.

Aberforth led them to the back room and closed the door behind them. The living space looked unkempt with dusty surfaces and torn furniture. In the center of the space was a rough wooden table with several odd matched chairs. Alice noticed a portrait of a young blonde girl on the wall.

"Alice, this is Aberforth Dumbledore, Aberforth, Alice McNally" Draco introduced them, which signaled that it was okay for Alice to lower her hood.

She slowly pulled down her hood and smiled at the man who was her great uncle, her only living magical relative. Draco had brought her here despite the risk. Her hand went out to him and his hand went to grasp hers. She placed both her hands around his and said, "It's very nice to meet you sir."

Aberforth was a bit taken back when looking at Alice; she had Ariana's eyes, as did Albus. He could see the family resemblance.

Releasing her hand, he apologized, "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you, but please sit down." He motioned for Draco and her to come over to the table.

"It was a last minute decision," Draco said looking at Alice, who was still surprised by the unexpected introduction.

"I wanted to meet you sir, you're my only relative in this world," Alice said sincerely, also hoping to take the blame off Draco if it ended up being a bad decision.

"Well young miss, you seem to be my only relative too," He smiled, "I can see you have your grandfather's eyes."

"As did my mother," Alice smiled back.

"Ah, her death was most unfortunate," Aberforth said kindly.

Alice looked at Draco who went on to inform her, "Aberforth was filled in at the Ministry this week."

"I'm sure my existence was a shock," Alice said concerned, "As is yours for me."

"Well, it was not expected, Albus never mentioned such things," Aberforth betrayed the fact that he was never close with his brother.

"I don't think he knew until much later, perhaps around the time my mother died," Alice said. "My grandmother didn't say much about him. Due to the time period, it was very uncommon for a woman to be with child and not married. From what I know," Alice decided to reveal the story of her grandmother's encounter with Dumbledore, "My grandmother lost her husband near the end of WWII. She was distraught and turned a bit reckless. She hung out in bars to meet returning soldiers. She must have met him sometime around then. If anything, the child did let her live her life again."

"It is a fortunate thing then," Aberforth said, "I think Albus would have been very pleased to have a daughter and of course, a granddaughter."

Time passed and they continued to talk, mostly about the Dumbledore family. Alice asked questions she had conjured up when reading Rita Skeeter's biography. Aberforth provided them some butterbeers along with some bread and cheese for lunch. For some reason the simplicity of the meal made it taste even more delicious. Draco, although not talking much, enjoyed hearing more about Alice as well as little known facts about his former professor. He knew he had made the right, although risky choice in bringing her here.

Before they were about to leave Alice asked Aberforth, "Will you be at the trial?"

"I'll be there," he said assuredly and he gave her a hug, not knowing if it was the last time they'd be able to talk. Aberforth then offered his hand to Draco and said, "Thank you for bringing her here." Draco shook his hand feeling the same sentiment.

Despite the short visit, Alice was glad to have met Aberforth, even if he would be forgotten by Monday afternoon.

Before exiting the pub, Draco magically altered Alice's robes, hiding the emblem and green collar. "Should have done that before," he said of his mistake.

"Yeah Professor, you should have," Alice smirked, "But can't we just apparate back?"

"There's one more place I want to take you," Draco said lifting Alice's hood over her head again.

Leaving the confines of the dusty pub, Alice followed Draco's lead as he passed through a corridor to the back of the buildings. He wanted to stay out of the main street for fear of being spotted by more students, or worse yet, professors. They trekked up a hill that was spotted with towering trees which helped block some of the cool wind. Up ahead was a clearing and Alice quickly realized why Draco brought her here. The higher elevation from the village provided a vista to the valley that stretch on from that point; a shining lake in the middle of a rolling mountains. The sky was crisp blue and there wasn't a cloud to be seen.

Alice surveyed her surroundings in awe, "This is quite a view."

"It's even better from up there," Draco said, looking in the direction of the large western mountain top, "That castle is Hogwarts."

"Your school?" Alice asked a bit confused; making sure her eyes were staring in the same direction as Draco's, "But that looks like nothing more than a ruin."

Alice realized then as Draco did, for muggles Hogwarts appears as an old ruin; it was enchanted to appear that way. She felt a little pathetic at that moment; it reminded her of how out of place she was in that world.

"I apologize, I forgot that…" Draco stopped from finishing his sentence.

"That I'm a muggle," Alice said, "It's okay, it's a necessary precaution. I understand that now," she smiled slightly to hide her disappointment.

Alice turned and walked towards a tree that had fallen on its side nearby. She sat down on it and Draco followed to sit next to her.

She removed her hood and continued to look out at the view before them. "What an amazing location. I grew up in big cities, London, LA. Such expanses of untouched land and utter silence are still foreign to me," At the moment she appreciated this foreignness. "So you spent seven years here?"

"More or less," Draco replied.

"Children aren't typically sent to boarding schools in my world. We're sent to public schools for most of the day, then our parents have to contend with us the rest of the time."

"At Hogwarts the school becomes your home, the house you're sorted into is your family. I would have ended up in Northeast Europe at the Durmstrang Institute, but mother didn't want me that far away."

"That's understandable, my dad had a hard time letting me go to uni and it was only 6 hours away by car and an hour by plane," Alice said amused. "So why Durmstrang?"

"My father wanted me to go there because they teach the Dark Arts."

"I see, so what curriculum did you learn at Hogwarts?"

"Varies for each student but among them are potions, charms, herbology, defense against the Dark Arts, transfigurations, astronomy, they even teach muggle studies," he recalled.

"Muggle studies?" Alice was slightly shocked, "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that class."

"That's magically possible," Draco said in relation to her pun.

Alice couldn't help but laugh, "I bet it is. Still, a class devoted to us non-magical others is intriguing. What 's it like?"

"It's considered a soft option so I didn't take it until my seventh year, when, due to the situation, it was compulsory."

"Situation?" Alice asked curiously, assuming it had something to do with the war.

"The school was taken over by Death Eaters and with their hatred of muggles, they taught us exactly what would enforce their new world order. It's normally more objective. The previous muggle studies teacher was murdered for her tolerance…" Draco paused as he remembered Charity Burbage's hanging from the ceiling in the drawing room and Nagini, Voldemort's pet snake, devouring her lifeless body.

Alice looked at Draco, whose thoughts had obviously haunted him. She spoke carefully, "Our worlds are separate for a reason. What differentiates us is too great to allow for a peaceful coexistence and the lengths the magical world has gone to conceal themselves from muggles has proven effective for both our sakes." The sun started dipping on the horizon making the lake shimmer below. Alice's eyes surveyed the magnificent view and said, "If erasing my memory is for the sake of the greater good then who am I to argue?"

Draco saw a hidden strength in her eyes as they scanned the vista before them but he couldn't agree with her, not now. "I would argue Alice," he said defensively, "You said it yourself, your only crime was figuring something out. And you're a quarter witch, that's got to count for something."

"If I could see Hogwarts on that mountaintop, I would say that too," She smiled to hide any hint of sadness. "No matter what happens, I'm really thankful that you brought me here today."

The two unlikely companions sat silently as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. The thought of their time together soon ending crept into their heads though neither of them knew how the other felt. That each of them felt the same sadness and longing was inconceivable. The wrong person, the wrong place, the wrong time. They knew the circumstances that brought them together were also going to pull them apart. Unable to broach this subject, they would keep it inside, deluding themselves into thinking that such feelings should not and could not exist.


	25. Chapter 25

Alice and Draco disapparated back to Malfoy Manor moments after having watched the sun sink into the enchanted landscape. They were still quiet, both feeling saddened by the blunt realization that they may never see each after Monday. In the foyer, Narcissa came to greet them from the drawing room with a concerned look on her face and her arms crossed.

"You risked it, didn't you?" she asked firmly staring at Draco.

"We weren't seen," Draco said reassuringly.

Alice removed the black school robes which acted as her cloak in Hogsmeade. At that moment, she was unsure if she should return to the guestroom or stay there.

Narcissa, a little bothered by Draco's rashness, managed to put her anger aside and said, "Well, why don't you two come in here, we're having a light dinner and you might as well join us."

Draco and Alice gave each other a slight reassuring smile before they headed into the drawing room. There Lucius was sitting on his armchair reading the evening's _Daily Prophet _newspaper.

"Giving interviews now are we?" He said snidely, as they came closer to his vicinity.

Alice drew in a heavy breath as she thought back to that morning when Barnabus Cuffe unexpectedly reached her on the mobile phone. She realized again how fast news traveled here.

"More like a brief statement," Alice said respectfully, knowing as she approached the man he was already formulating something damning to retort with.

"You seem a need to have your say," his hierarchical tone didn't waver. Draco hesitated whether to interject but he believed Alice could handle it.

Alice spoke with calmness, not trying to evoke any harsh critique, "And should I not? I know there isn't much point talking to a newspaper editor who only wants to sell papers. He doesn't care that all I want is to remember this week past Monday. Do I express this desire in an emotional plea to an audience who may or may not pity me? Or do I relay a rational response of the human condition this trial puts asunder? I did the latter. I don't want any pity."

Lucius said nothing, only noted that her response was again not what he wanted to provoke. He underestimated her nerve.

"That's respectable," he said, acting as if it wasn't a compliment.

"Thanks," Alice said, taking it as one.

Narcissa and Draco stood back a bit surprised by Lucius's response, it wasn't what they expected from the man who was more often cruel than kind. An awkward silence filled the space.

"Well, I'm going to eat something," Draco said, feeling obligated to cut the odd tension.

That evening there was less talk about the trial and more talk about the mundane, as Alice asked unusual questions about the wizarding world. One topic she queried was quidditch, something she had come across in their newspapers, in which a whole section is devoted. Draco, having played quidditch in school and still an avid fan, enjoyed describing the game to Alice, who found the whole concept of shooting hoops on the back of broomsticks a considerable feat. For muggles, broomstick riding goes alongside the witch kitsch of pointy cone-shaped black hats and long warty noses. She remembered almost abashedly that she had dressed up as a witch for the American holiday Halloween, when she was nine years old. She had wanted to be Peter Pan but her father took her to the costume shop too late and not many outfits were left on the racks. She wore the stereotypical black cone hat, black cape and a disgusting plastic wart nose that fell off half-way through trick-or-treating. She even carried around an old closet broom as an accessory. "That would certainly be an incriminating photo here," she thought. Despite the silliness of these stereotypes, muggle witch and wizard folklore had some basis in reality. Though broomstick riding, cauldron brewing old wart-nosed women is extremely far removed from the fast paced, heart pounding quidditch match of nimbus riding young athletes.

After discussing quaffles and snitches, beaters and chasers, Draco began talking about the Quidditch World Cup that was coming up that summer. Of course, this began a long conversation between him and his father about the odds of several of the teams. Alice and Narcissa looked at each other, acknowledging their sudden removal from the conversation, and decided to have a conversation of their own, this time on hair styles. Narcissa was one to take risks with coloring her hair, as noted by the sections of black she currently had put in. Alice was the same, swearing that her last big change was an extremely short pixie cut she did prior to graduate school. Since then she's been trying to grow it out.

"So what will you do tomorrow?" Narcissa asked, curious how she was going to spend her presumably last day in the magical realm

"Well, I need to return to my flat for an outfit for the trial," Alice said, uncertain what else.

"Now that's important," Narcissa chimed, "No doubt they'll be snapping a million photos of you there."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Alice said wearily.

"Keep your posture dear and you'll be fine," Narcissa reassured. "Unfortunately, Lucius and I will be away. We need to go look at a summer home up the coast. I do plan to see you off the following morning, however."

Alice was unsure what her last day would bring. With Narcissa and Lucius gone, she knew she'd be spending the entire day with Draco and the thought slightly troubled her. Her feelings for him were undeniable, but they were also unobtainable. At this moment, she couldn't fathom saying goodbye to him. These thoughts would follow her to the guestroom and make sleeping difficult. Only one more day until the trial.

* * *

Alice awoke earlier than normal that Sunday morning with several things to do on her mind. Her plan was to organize and clean the guestroom, making sure everything was in the exact order as when she arrived. Then she would pack up all her belonging so she could take a majority of them back to her flat, which is where Draco and her would presumably go that day. She also intended to return to the library to reshelf all the books she had read. The Malfoys had been amazing hosts and she didn't want to leave any hint of being a lazy, ungrateful guest, even if it was the house elf's job to clean up around here. Of course, the other motivation to be physically busy was to help keep Alice's mind off of more pressing issues.

Entering the library doors, Alice reencountered the sense of wonder she had when she first entered this room. The smell of old parchment, the orderly lines of leather bindings covering the shelves. She had read only a fraction of what this library contained. Her pile of specially picked books was still sprawled out on the study table. There her notebook sat open; the questions she wrote on its pages may never be answered. She randomly chose a book from the pile and slowly began to reshelf them via the author's last name. She rolled over the old trolley ladder to reach the higher shelves. It was slow process but having her mind focus on one thing provided subtle therapy.

While on top of the ladder she heard the library doors swing open. Draco walked in, amused at the sight of Alice manually shelving books.

"I was wondering where you went," he said, though he wasn't angry.

Alice stayed on the ladder, "Sorry, I wanted to clean up."

Draco retrieved his wand from his pocket and waved it horizontally. Suddenly all the books from the table levitated and directed themselves back to their original destinations throughout the room. Alice watched this spectacle with wide eyes, not moving from the ladder.

"You can come down now," Draco said amused, though in his mind he wondered whether she was trying to avoid him that morning

Alice slowly came down the ladder and said smiling, "Again the muggle way is defeated."

"That would have taken awhile," Draco said smugly. "You could have left them."

"Trying to be a good guest," she said, slipping her feet into her shoes and then grabbing her notebook on the table. "I guess you better keep this," she said, handing it to Draco. "I wrote a lot of notes in it and if I have it tomorrow, well…"

Draco knew what she meant, if they obliviate her memory then having those notes in her possession would only confuse her and maybe start this whole process over.

Draco took the notebook hesitantly, not enjoying the thought of what was to come. He already knew today would be bittersweet. Giving her a reassuring look, he said, "I took the liberty to set up brunch in the garden, it's a perfect day to be outside."

"You're too kind Draco," Alice said, in awe of his charming qualities. She hated to admit that while staying at Malfoy Manor, she felt more like a princess and hardly like a prisoner.

They walked side-by-side through the corridors exchanging smiles and glances as they went.

"You don't mind making a trip to my flat today, do you?" Alice asked.

"Not at all," Draco replied, "You should probably take some your stuff back as well."

"That's what I was thinking too."

Walking out of green room into the garden, Alice saw a white albino peacock strolling across the lawn.

"I've never seen an albino one before," Alice said, her mind took her back to Fritz's shoe chase fiasco the other day.

"They've been on this property for generations, they actually live to be around 100 years old."

Alice's eyes went wide and sounding a little too Californian she said, "Seriously?"

"Serious," Draco looked at her, amused by her accent.

"I would love to know how that's genetically possible."

"It's magic," Draco said; the phrase seemed to explain everything in this world.

Cutting through Narcissa's extremely manicured rose garden, the couple veered into the outer limits of the grounds. The polished gravel gave way to large smooth stepping stones and then to black and green colored ceramic tiles that covered the floor of a magnificent terrace. It looked out onto the rolling green hills behind the manor.

"From inside the manor grounds you can see into the distance, but from outside it simply looks fenced in," Draco explained the charm which produced two different visual realities.

"This would is full of wonders," Alice said, "Makes going back to my world a little boring."

"Actually, I'm looking forward to visiting your side of town today, not often I get to do that," Draco replied.

"We'll go into the city then. We shouldn't have to worry about being spotted there," Alice said, thinking of places to take him.

Draco waved his wand and a small feast appeared on the glass topped table that stood near the edge of the terrace. They ate leisurely and talked comfortably about non-trial topics. Both of them realized how easy the other was to talk and relate to.

"Grade school wasn't the best of my years socially. I must have gotten off to a rocky start with family issues and moving to a different country," Alice said thinking back. "But for me, school was about making the grades so I could go to a decent college."

"At least you were a good student," Draco said.

"I was a bit of a terror at home, however," Alice exclaimed, but Draco didn't believe her. "No, really. My father started dating at that time and well, I never acted exactly mature about it. I guess I was selfish and I didn't want things to change. His current wife, oh, I was awful to her. I put laxatives in her soup once. Luckily we're civil to each other now."

"I never suspected that from you," Draco said amused, "Sounds like something I would have done."

Alice's one eyebrow raised, "Trouble maker?"

"Something like that. Having four houses produces extreme rivalries on school grounds. Your house is your family and whether it's on the quidditch field or in the school halls, you put them first."

"Slytherin, right? Cunning, ambitious, achievement oriented," She remembered what she read in _Hogwarts: A History_. "Those are all good traits."

"Also self-preservation and disregarding the rules to a certain extent," Draco added.

"I guess that's all a part of being ambitious, don't you think?" Alice said.

"True," Draco replied.

"I would think putting people with similar traits in one house would create more of a problem than mixing them up. I mean, wouldn't a group of equally ambitious individuals tear each other apart?"

"Ah, you would think, but pride for your house holds you together. It's more about solidarity and winning the House Cup that matters. You hardly ever compete against your own." Draco went on to briefly explain the points systems at Hogwarts. "I never got along with Potter or his Gryffindor friends; we were rivals from day one."

"From day one?" She inquired.

"Yes, I offered my friendship, but not before I had insulted friends he had made," He said thinking back. He wondered whether a different first introduction would have altered history.

"Why did you insult them?"

"Well, his one friend was muggle-born, the other was from a family known to be blood traitors. As you can imagine, I was my father's child and pure-blood ideology controlled my behavior."

"So you were a bit of a bully?" Alice assumed he would be if he believed such things.

"Yeah, I had a lot of anger in me and truth be told, I came to be jealous of Potter and his friends. He was the chosen one, mentored to greatness by your grandfather. With my father's Death Eater ties, I was already set to oppose him. I thought being chosen by Voldemort was an honor and I foolishly wanted to prove myself. What I did will always taint my reputation." Draco said a bit disgusted in himself.

"I think you and your family's reputation needs an overhaul. I have been treated with nothing but kindness and respect since coming here. Even your father has been incredibly civil to me."

Draco smiled, "I think he's okay with you; you aren't what he expects."

"I'm grateful for that," she said, "I think you're also not what people would expect. You've become an expert in the field of potions, you conduct important research, you teach. It's very honorable."

Draco blushed slightly, "You make me sound better than I am."

"Case in point, you've put up with a muggle like me for a week and I'm still in one piece. Now, would the old Draco Malfoy have been able to do that?" She implored.

"Probably not, at least you wouldn't have gotten away without being insulted," He was overly amused at the thought.

Alice laughed and then remembered some stereotypes, counting them on her fingers, "Right, muggles are stupid, backwards, they smell…Now I wouldn't disagree if this was 500 or so years ago. Intelligence and hygiene back then wasn't what it is today."

Draco laughed, "Well, I don't think I could find any insults for you now."

Alice blushed slightly at the compliment, "I'm glad I could be an outstanding muggle ambassador."

Two birds flew through the air chirping harmoniously before leaving the frame in front of them.

"Sometimes I can't believe it's already springtime," Alice said solemnly, unintentionally changing the conversation. Her mind started to think about how she spent the last several months preparing that book for publishing, hoping its release this spring would make a name for herself outside the market of academia. If successful, it could have even helped her within academia by bulking up her curriculum vitae. Instead it inadvertently made a name for her here, in a realm she contrived as fiction. Would she even be remembered by summer, or would people forget as easily as she would on Monday afternoon?

A few hours went by on the terrace and the two again talked about their lives, their like and dislikes, and their professional hopes for the future. They both avoided talking overtly about the trial. Nor did they mention their feelings for each other, but even through the words they did speak, it was apparent.

Later that afternoon Alice retrieved her small suitcase from the east guestroom and met Draco in the foyer.

"I think I have everything that isn't necessary for tomorrow morning," she said approaching Draco who was holding the book he borrowed from her collection.

"Thank you for letting me borrow this," he said, taking her suitcase from her hand.

"Oh, I guess if you kept it I would think I left it somewhere, although I have so many books who knows if I'd realize," Alice looked to the side, knowing her attempt to be funny only concealed the depressing thoughts she tried all day not to mention.

Draco slowly grabbed Alice's hand and gently pulled her towards him, "Are you ready?" His voice was soft and steady; Alice felt lost for a moment in his eyes. She managed to nod her head and although she wanted to remain looking into his grey orbs, she closed her lids. Draco then disapparated them both into her central London flat.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N_: Sorry for all the melancholy, but we're finally getting to the trial! :)

* * *

After apparating back to her small residence, the pair didn't initially let go of each other. Alice's eyes opened to again meet Draco's as before they left; their hands were still clasped and each hesitated to move or even breathe for that matter.

Alice finally took a deep breath, since she often held it when they apparated, and she struggled to find her voice, "Um, I'll put some of these things away and then we'll head out?" She slowly let go of his hand and grabbed her suitcase from him, trying to act as normal as possible.

Draco could only nod in agreement and went over to Alice's bookshelf, hoping that if he read some random book titles his mind would be taken off of Alice. Near the end of the shelf he found a tattered book whose cover was barely intact. He slowly pulled it off the shelf to look at it. It was _The Origin of Species_ by Charles Darwin, an older edition which Draco rightly assumed was given to Alice by her mother when she was a child. She had mentioned at dinner with his parents the other night that she had read it when she was younger; an interest passed on from her biologist mother. Draco opened the book to find an old unmoving color photograph stuck between its pages. It was a picture of Alice, who appeared to be around six years old. Her hair was lighter but she had the same characteristics as she did now. Next to her, holding her hand and smiling was her mother, who also bore a striking resemblance to the child. He placed the book, which undoubtedly held sentimental value, back in its prior location. Draco, saddened by the thought of losing a mother at such a young age, also realized Alice's internal drive to accomplish great things in life. No matter what happened, Draco knew she would persevere. Alternatively, Draco knew his memory of Alice would not be erased and he was unsure if he'd be able to move on without her in his life.

Alice unpacked her small suitcase, placing some clothes in the laundry basket, shoes in her closet, while also finding the outfit she had envisioned to wear for the trial. She laid the black dress out on her bed to retrieve when they returned later that evening.

"That should do it," she said, gaining Draco's attention. "We can take the Tube into the city, there's a metro entrance about a block from here," she thought it would be more convenient than taking a bus.

Taking the underground metro for the first time was interesting for Draco though he maintain his usual cool demeanor taking in things as a neutral observer. Alice again noted how sophisticated he moved and loved how his body language demanded attention.

"I know it's a little cliché," she said hanging on to a bar on the metro, "But I thought I'd take you to city center, we can walk around, get something to eat, there's plenty to see there."

Draco smiled, "That sounds perfect," he honestly was just glad to spend time with Alice.

"This is our stop," Alice said, before the train came to a halt.

The underground station was packed with travelers which was typical on a Sunday night around dinnertime. Alice intertwined her arm with Draco's so they could keep together amongst the sea of people. After walking up the steps and out the main entrance to the road, they could tell the sights and sounds of the city were in full bloom. The sun was about to go down so they took advantage of the light and walked along the pier of the River Thames.

"I haven't been here in awhile," Alice said stopping by a railing to look out at the historic river. "They just recently rebuilt the Millennium Bridge last year. The collapse of that thing is what started me on my crusade." The new bridge looked the same as the old one but on each end memorials were erected to those who lost their lives when it collapsed.

"How did you figure it out?" Draco asked curiously, resting his arms on the railing.

Alice turned and rested her back on the bars, the wind slightly whipped through her hair, "Various inconsistencies in how they were reporting the incident. I also saw some video footage before it was erased by the government. It showed black specters flying through the air."

"Death Eaters," Draco replied, knowing all to well how the bridge was brought down.

Alice nodded, "But it was_ The Daily Prophet_ I found that gave me the best leads. I was quiet about what I knew though, unlike others who I assume had a run in with the Ministry's obliviators. I also left to go back to the US shortly after which distanced me from it all. I actually didn't start writing the book until I started grad school four years later."

"Long process," Draco said, thinking of the length of time it took her to put everything together.

"Well, conspiracies and wizards isn't a respectable project in academia. Magic is fantasy here so my dissertation had nothing to do with it and I worked on it entirely in my free time. It was to be a creative work for the purpose of keeping my academic research respectable. After years of putting it together, to end up here is unthinkable." She turned to look at Draco, "I find it ironic that you were in the _Daily Prophet_ I found so long ago. Perhaps it was fate that brought us together."

Draco couldn't deny that working on her case was an odd and unexpected occurrence; he would have never foreseen himself befriending a muggle, or having such strong feelings for her. "Whatever it was, I'm grateful."

"So am I," Alice said, looking at Draco with a warm smile.

They both turned to look out at the river again, the sun had dipped far on the horizon and the lights of the London Eye sparkled on the water's surface. It was a beautiful scene, echoing their feelings for each other.

After their walk, Alice decided to complete the muggle experience in the city by taking Draco to eat sushi at a Japanese restaurant she had yet to try, but always heard rave reviews about. He was apprehensive about trying raw fish and only hoped he wouldn't get food poisoning.

They had both enjoyed the meal immensely, however. Alice said jokingly after eating the last of the tuna roll, "See, it wasn't a trick to escape your grasp tomorrow morning."

"Don't think the thought of forgoing the trial hasn't crossed my mind," Draco tone was bit more serious than Alice expected.

Realizing he wasn't joking, her eyes met the concerned look of his. "There's nothing I wouldn't give to make it past tomorrow remembering everything, but I would not risk your freedom in the process. I promise though, I will argue if given the chance." She remembered Draco had wanted her to argue her case when they were near Hogwarts the other day.

For Draco, knowing Alice would defend herself helped ease his senses. He could do nothing for her, except be there. And would he, after Alice lost her memory, go and find her again? The thought had crossed his mind.

After returning to Alice's flat, she grabbed her outfit and a bottle of expensive Cabernet from the Napa Valley wine region in California. Alice had imported a case of the wine to give to her professors as thank you gifts after graduation. She had several bottles left and thought it would make a decent parting gift for Narcissa and Lucius. Draco told her it was unnecessary, but Alice insisted.

Again Draco offered his hand to Alice and as she took it while thinking back to the first time they were in her flat together. He was mysterious to her then, but now, she felt like they had spent a lifetime together. She willingly pushed herself towards him, intertwining her fingers with his.

"Ready?" Draco asked softly and Alice nodded her head and closed her eyes.

Like the last time they apparated, they didn't immediately separate. Instead, their eyes met and they hesitated to let go. It took everything in Draco's strength not to kiss Alice at that moment, a longing that each of them had.

Steadying his heart beat, Draco said, "You should get some rest. We have to be there at eight."

Releasing each other, Alice replied, "I'll meet you down here at a quarter till."

Sleep wouldn't come easy for either of them that evening.

* * *

Lucky to have an alarm setting on her mobile phone, Alice awoke at 6:30 am, giving her enough time to pack and make herself presentable for the trial. She couldn't deny that she was nervous. This whole week she had been secluded from the wizarding world, protected in the confines of Malfoy Manor. Draco let her know to expect the press and Ministry employees in the courtroom, as well as photographers in the atrium when they arrive. While she was not shy in front of crowds, having done numerous lectures and debates before, it was the new experience of being put under a microscope and judged that made her uncertain. She was unsure if she'd even be given a chance to speak.

Dressed and with her small bag packed, Alice grabbed her bottle of Cabernet to meet the Malfoys in foyer. Narcissa and Lucius were there talking with their son.

As Alice approached, Narcissa mused, "Perfect outfit dear."

Alice smiled and went to give Narcissa the bottle of wine, "This is for you and Mr. Malfoy, I don't know how else to thank you for allowing me to stay here."

Grateful for the gift, Narcissa then handed the bottle of wine to Lucius, who observed it and said discriminatingly, "Muggle wine?"

"From California, it's a reputable winery," she said, trying to sound reassuring.

Narcissa then grasped both of Alice's hands, "Good luck today Alice, know you are always welcome in our home."

Alice felt a calming sense of reassurance wash over her with those words, and she desperately hoped Narcissa had indeed been clairvoyant when she said she had good feelings about the trial.

Alice offered her hand to Lucius who hesitated at first but shook it, noting the sincerity in her eyes.

Fritz had also come to say his adieus which Alice returned with a nice scratch behind the ears.

The Floo Regulation Panel had set up a direct fireplace connection in the Malfoy's drawing room for purposes of bringing Alice to the trial. Draco would be able to take Alice alongside him and he cautioned her to keep her elbows close to her body.

Stepping into the fireplace was a surreal experience for Alice and she had little time to compose her thoughts before Draco had stepped in beside her. Draco clasped and then gently squeezed Alice's hand for reassurance when he threw some powder on the floor, calling the name, "Ministry of Magic."

A green slurry of flames shot up and the couple was quickly transported to their destination. Alice immediately noted that the trip was less jarring than traveling by apparition and she felt less disoriented when reappearing. As the flames subsided again, she noticed they were in another fireplace, this one a bit wider and with black polished tiles lining its walls. In front of them was Blaise Zabini, standing with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face. She had not seen him since the previous Tuesday.

"Draco, Miss McNally," Blaise greeted them; Alice noticed a little contempt in his saying of her name.

Draco placed his hand on the small of Alice's back and guided her out of the fireplace where they would follow Blaise through the great atrium. As soon as they reached where Blaise was standing, a flurry of camera bulbs flashed brightly; the press had already stationed themselves in the atrium in order to get the first shot of Dumbledore's granddaughter. Alice moved along with the two men by her side, highly comforted by the fact that Draco had not removed his hand from her back. Despite being overwhelmed, Alice remained calm and poised, trying her best to mute out the chaotic situation around her.

They reached the lift that had opened its golden doors seconds prior. Blaise motioned for Draco and Alice to go in first and then followed after. The doors closed and took them down to level 9 where they could gain access to the stairways that led to the dungeons.

"The trial's been moved up to 8:30," Blaise quietly said to Draco, ignoring the presence of Alice, "Most of the Ministry's heads are already gathering in the courtroom."

Alice's eyes shot a concerned glance at Draco, who remained silent as they descended the stairs. There was even less time then she expected. They reached a long sleek hallway with several doors on each side, most of which were waiting rooms. Blaise led them to a room about halfway down the hall. The room exuded the same sleekness as the hallway, polished black floors, a few black benches and a table.

Blaise turned to Alice and said, "I'll escort you in when it's time," then he proceeded to leave the room, expecting Draco to follow him.

However, Draco did not follow, "Give me a minute," he said to Blaise, who looked incriminatingly at his friend, then at Alice before closing the door behind him.

The morning had gone by so fast and the heaviness of the situation had only started to catch up with them. Alice's eyes slightly welled up with tears though she quickly blinked them away as she gazed at Draco, who stood weak before her. She moved towards him apprehensively and lightly cupped her hands on the sides of his head. He couldn't look her in the eyes as her touch pained his heart.

"Draco," Alice's sweet voice caused Draco's eyes to rise and meet hers, "Thank you." Against her desire to neutralize her outer feelings for him, Alice softly kissed his lips. Draco reciprocated her soft kiss and placed his arms around her, holding her close as she brought her head to rest on his chest. She breathed in heavily, gathering strength from his embrace. For what felt like eternity, they held each other, not saying anything, only feeling the connection that was apparent between them all week.

Reluctantly stepping out of his embrace, Alice smiled with confidence at Draco, trying to reassure him and herself that it was going to be alright. "You should go," she said, her voice slightly wavering. Draco experienced both revelation and despair from their embrace, as if his heart mended and broke at the same time. He looked at her strong eyes and warm smile and knew she was going to go into that courtroom ready to fight this. Draco returned this reassurance in his final glance before opening the door and leaving her in the room. Knowing she would have only a few moments alone, Alice decided to meditate, mentally preparing herself for the unknown that awaited her.


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N_: Finally the trial! I hope you like the outcome.

* * *

The courtroom was already brimming with Ministry officials, including various department heads and upper level employees. The press had also found their way into the circular bleachers, including Barnabus Cuffe and Rita Skeeter, who were having a long and spirited conversation near the side. Aberforth Dumbledore sat quietly in the back, trying not to bring attention to himself, though the press had already noted that he was there. Upon entering the courtroom, Draco nodded to Aberforth, grateful that he came, and then went to the front of bleachers alone, his mind entrenched with thoughts. It didn't help that he noticed the head obliviator sitting adjacent to the Winzengamot, most likely prepared to carry out the verdict directly following the trial.

Around the other side of the courtroom sat the "golden trio." Their position in the Ministry and relationship to Dumbledore compelled them to not miss the trial. Hermione, in particular, hoped it would be carried out fairly.

Harry Potter immediately noticed Draco's presence in the courtroom and asked his two companions, "What's Malfoy doing here?"

"Saw him on Level 2 the other day, 'Mione said he was working on the case," Ron replied, having asked his wife to look into it.

Hermione chimed in, "I found out that he acted as chief potioneer for Blaise since their main one was out on business."

"Sure he loved working in close proximity with a muggle," Ron said jokingly.

"No kidding," Harry replied.

Hermione then looked at Draco and said slightly concerned, "He looks upset."

"Doesn't he always look that way?" Ron said nonchalantly while crossing his arms.

Unsympathetic to Draco's disposition and decidedly changing the subject, Harry asked Hermione, "What do you think the outcome will be?"

"Don't know," Hermione said, "They've never had a case like this before. I suppose they have to deduce whether it's safe to let her keep her memory. Of course, if she was just a muggle no trial would be necessary. Of course, being related to Dumbledore changes things considerably."

"Amazing the things I never knew about Dumbledore," Harry said solemnly, thinking back to the year he spent searching for Horcruxes and the odd revelations that he had about his old headmaster.

"Maybe Dumbledore didn't know either," Ron said.

"Of course Dumbledore knew, he's the one who enchanted her," Hermione sent a sharp look of mild disdain at her husband for not following.

The Wizengamot, dressed in plum colored robes and mushroom shaped hats, began sitting in their seats, filling the bleachers on the one side. The group was composed of mainly older members who had been on the panel for several decades.

"I for one feel sorry for her," Hermione said while watching the robed figures sit.

"It's a right fix to be without your magical ability," Ron added, missing the point.

"Not that," she said concerned, "She's been held against her will for a week and now she's being judged to keep her memory and for writing a book no less. These laws need to be changed."

"I don't disagree with you on that," Harry replied, figuring that Hermione's next task would probably be proposing legislation to handle these situations better.

Since it was time, Blaise knocked thrice on the door and entered the room where Alice was sitting in deep meditation. She opened her eyes to meet Blaise's, who stood as cold as the first day she met him.

"It's time; I ask that you don't speak unless given permission," Blaise said sternly.

Alice noted that he was hiding some nervousness under the bravado; this made her feel better about her own apprehension. "Fine," she replied a bit smugly, gathering her confidence as she stood up. Poised and as prepared as possible, she followed Blaise out the door and down the hall.

The courtroom was unlike anything she had ever seen. Like a circular coliseum, she walked into its center, feeling like she was on an actor's stage. Black sleek walls curled up around the intricate blue and gold geometrically designed marble floors. Large torches illuminated the space from behind. The bleachers were filled with witches and wizards, all their eyes on Alice as she walked into the room. With her head held high she returned their glances and she recognized some of their faces, having come across their photographs in her previous research. Blaise had her sit in a rather large wooden chair in the center of the floor. She felt dwarfed by this position. It forced her to gaze up at the members of Wizengamot, who stared coldly back at her. Drawing in a deep breath, she tried to remain confident and emotionless as the trial began.

The main prefect who sat in the center of the sea of plum colored robes spoke, "Witches and Wizards of the Wizengamot, members of the Ministry of Magic and press of the British wizarding world, we have gathered to discuss the case of Alice McNally and her breach of Clause 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Evidence of this breach are a book written by the convicted, _Hinting at Magic: 20__th__ Century Conspiracies and Possible Explanations_," the prefect held a copy of Alice's book up for the courtroom to see. "In it, several magical incidents which drew notice of the non-magical community in the past are reinterpreted and plainly laid out for a general muggle audience. According to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes," the prefect nodded approvingly to the head obliviator who was sitting with his arms crossed in the bleachers nearby, "all muggle connections with this book have been effectively obliviated, except for one, the book's author, Alice McNally." The head prefect then looked at Alice through his half-moon spectacles; she returned his gaze searchingly. Then he added, "The head of the Special Cases Unit, Blaise Zabini, will give a brief statement of the convicted."

Blaise had stood slightly off to the side, but when called, he moved to the center in order to best address the Wizengamot.

"Alice McNally was brought into custody in order to assess the source of her information. It was assumed that her knowledge of the wizarding world came from someone on the inside, so the case was handed over to my team in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to detect who this possible insider was. Her knowledge, however, is rightly her own, deduced from years of personal research. We also conducted blood and ancestry tests that conclusively showed that she is the granddaughter of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. However, she possesses no magical ability. The reason for which became apparent after another series of tests showed that an enchantment placed on her as a child effectively repressed her magical gene. It is also important to note that all this information was unknown to the convicted until this week."

"Thank you Mr. Zabini," the head prefect said respectfully, "As members of the Wizengamot know, if Alice McNally was a muggle, her memory would be obliviated in order to protect wizarding world secrecy. However, the evidence suggests wizarding ancestry and we need to discern whether this accords her the rights of wizards and witches in this realm. I now open this up to discussion."

A small witch on the Wizengamot with beady eyes and short white hair raised her hand to speak and the head prefect nodded in allowance. She looked disdainfully at Alice before beginning, "If we are to look closely at the evidence, Alice McNally was a muggle when writing this book and due to her enchantment, she remains a muggle till this day. We cannot accord wizarding world rights or privileges due to her previously unknown ancestry."

"I agree," another member spoke out, "This muggle should not have been brought to our court." Several other members spoke in agreement.

The head prefect interjected the sudden clamor of voices with his raised tone, "Whether she should have been brought to court is not the issue! We are here now and I think such ancestry accords a discussion of the rights given to all of us in this realm."

Another member raised their hand to speak, "Obviously as a muggle, she was unaware of those rights or our laws. Do we present them to her now?"

The head prefect responded, "That is precisely the question at hand," he stared curiously at Alice, who was more than surprised by the previous comments as she immediately suspected things were not going favorably for her. Then the old prefect said respectably, "I want to hear from the convicted. Miss McNally, you can have your say."

This was it, the moment Alice hoped she'd be allowed but after such a negative outcry she wondered if anything she said would make a difference. She rose from the chair slowly and stood on the platform the chair was stationed on. Gathering her thoughts and taking in her audience with her eyes, she began to speak slowly and steadily. The words came from deep inside her.

"Being here reminds me of one very important moment in the history of philosophy when Socrates said, _The unconsidered life is not worth living_. What he meant was if you don't reflect on your life, if you don't consider it, if you don't choose the values you're going to live by, then you're going to live according to someone else's choices, someone else's ideals, someone else's ideology. The magical world has effectively decided on behalf of non-magical persons that they will live such a life; unconsidered, uninformed, unaware. My crime that brought me to this courtroom was considering, for thinking critically, for having an awareness and understanding of what's happening in the world; but in so doing I breached my relegated position as a non-magical person, or as you call me, a muggle.

This week I came to fully comprehend that position, the demarcation of our two worlds and the blood that has been spilt on account of both sides. One gene differentiates us but that should not dehumanize us. That dehumanization is done by arrogance, it is done by ignorance, and it is done by dogma. When people believe that they have absolute knowledge and power, with no test in reality, this is how they act. The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy is supposed to uphold a common though separate humanity, to protect as best it can the stability of both our worlds. It is not to create prejudice or bias of such differences. It is my understanding that my grandfather believed in this and he died fighting against those who did not.

But yet, here I stand below you, feeling dehumanized by my forced custody, my lack of rights in this realm, and by your words. I wrote a book without knowing your laws, without knowing that I crossed the line that separates us and protects us. I now know this and I respect its premise. But if you still feel that protection comes at the cost of my current knowledge and my humanity, then I ask you to reconsider. If I am not allowed to be an informed participant in the great conversation of mankind, then I am with Socrates in saying that such a life is not worth living."

The power behind her words led everyone in the courtroom to stay silent in deep contemplation. Her plea spoke truths that many had failed to see. Whether or not she should be given rights was in fact whether a muggle was worth as much as a witch.

The head prefect was particularly touched, and as an old friend of Albus Dumbledore, he recognized the direct lineage of the young woman before him. Breaking the silence he said, "Miss McNally speaks with the wisdom and dignity of her grandfather. I believe we have heard enough and I move to pass judgment."

"I second the move," said the man sitting next to him, confirming that it was time to vote.

"Those in favor of conviction," a few members rose their hands slowly, noting the ill-favor it awarded them from the audience. The head prefect nodded in recognition of their number. "Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges," he raised his own hand only to be quickly followed by a majority of the house.

"Alice McNally, you have been cleared of all charges. You will keep your memory and your dignity."

As Alice heard the gasp of the audience and saw the nod of approval from the prefect, she felt dizzy and her head started spinning. Suddenly she was no longer standing in the courtroom, but instead was in the middle of a green pasture, the ends of which were covered by a heavy fog. She looked around nervously, unsure whether to move. But then a voice echoed around her, a familiar voice that she had not heard for quite some time.

"I am very proud of you Alice," Albus Dumbledore said, as he appeared from beneath the fog.

"Grandfather?" Alice stared in disbelief though her heart was happy to see the old man who gave her so much encouragement in life. She hugged him softly before asking, "Where are we?"

"That needs not an explanation my dear, but I do owe you another one," He looked concerned even though his blue eyes continued to twinkle. Suddenly a small table and chairs appeared from the mist and he walked over to sit down.

Alice followed apprehensively, her victory at the trial suddenly an afterthought as she knew she was about to learn the answers to some of the questions she had about her life.

"When I came across your name as a practitioner of underage magic and thus, eligible future student of Hogwarts, I had not known of our family connection. Instead it was a dream that told me while also showing me two very different futures. I had a choice between allowing you to study magic with a possibility of it ending in tragedy, or for you to flourish in the muggle world. As you realize now, I chose the latter."

Alice noted the sincerity in his eyes; she knew he hoped he had done the right thing. Then she began to ask a question she feared the answer to, "Was it I…"

"Who caused your mother's death?" Dumbledore finished her question for her; he knew she would ask it. "No blame can be placed on such an event. Your mother was a rational being whose magical abilities never surfaced. This rationality proved both her success and her downfall. I regret not being able to intervene in time and am heartbroken to have lost my only daughter. As you can imagine, it weighed heavily on my choice to repress your magical abilities. I did not want to lose you as well."

Alice's eyes welled with tears as she knew the truth pained him as much as it did her.

"You have flourished Alice, intellectually and emotionally, and you have handled your encounter with the wizarding world with utmost wisdom and patience. You listened before you spoke and I have no doubt in your future abilities. That is why I feel you are ready."

"Ready?" Alice repeated this word and it echoed all around her as the mist began closing in; she did not know where it led.


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N_: Thank you so much for the reviews! Glad to hear everyone is enjoying this so far.

* * *

As the verdict passed, the previous silence in the courtroom became engulfed by surprised discussion amongst the audience members. Many felt they had witnessed a truly remarkable verdict and noted how Alice's persuasive speech helped sway the jury to her side. Upon hearing the verdict, Draco felt a heavy weight lift from his chest and he was caught in the surrealism of the moment. As he looked over to Alice, however, he noticed something was wrong. She looked stuck in her position and her eyes were slightly glazed over. Suddenly a large white aura engulfed her, causing everyone in the courtroom to stand up in surprise. The light cascaded upward to form a figure of a large phoenix whose great transparent wings flapped down over her form only to disappear in a shimmery gold vapor. The light in Alice's eyes returned but the sudden disorienting relocation of her mind caused her knees to buckle below her, she caught hold of the wooden handrail in time before falling to the ground.

Without second thought, Draco got up and made his way to Alice, hurrying down the steps of the bleachers and jumping over the barriers.

The head prefect was immediately aware of what happened, "It would appear Albus Dumbledore has repealed his enchantment," noting the phoenix symbol of the aura that appeared. He added in amused surprise, "This trial even exceeded my expectations!"

Nearby the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had decided at the last minute to attend the trial, said amused in relation to the light show, "That Dumbledore always had style."

Alice's eyes slowly blinked back to reality. She looked shocked and confused when Draco reached her. Alice spoke to him as if he was the only one in the room, but what she said was hushed and incoherent, "He says I'm ready." For what in the courtroom was only a few seconds, for Alice it felt like several minutes had elapsed.

Draco placed his arm around Alice to steady her, who, as she slowly came to her senses, met the concern and joy in his eyes, "Alice, you did it."

She immediately embraced him, completely unaware that they were standing in the middle of a hundred onlookers who gazed on the odd couple before them. In particular, Ron, Hermione and Harry looked at each other with raised eyebrows, not expecting such a display of affection to come from such an unlikely pair.

Aberforth had come down from the bleachers to meet them on the floor below. He also came to embrace Alice, joyful that he got to keep a great niece. "I am so grateful Alice," he said, taking both her hands in his. "Me too," she replied, trying to keep the tears from her eyes.

Nearby was Blaise, standing with his arms crossed, pretending to be unaffected by the scene.

"Miss McNally," he said breaking up the family reunion, "You will need to sign some paperwork and then you are free to go."

Alice could not help but smile at the man who now offered her freedom. She nodded at him civilly, "Thank you so much." The court scribe rushed to her side, handing her a large white feather quill. The piece of parchment which levitated in front of her outlined her freedom, conditions that she must swear to uphold according to the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, and guaranteed her the rights allotted to all members of the British wizarding community. After reading it, she signed, thinking how odd it felt to use a quill for the first time.

As Alice confronted the parchment in front of her, Blaise looked at Draco and noticed his friend's overt happiness, something he had not seen in a long time. Though a relationship between these two was unexpected, he accepted it along with the court verdict.

Aberforth made his adieus after inviting Alice and Draco to his home that week for dinner; he did not like to stay in a public place for too long. Luckily the press had been told to wait outside the courtroom, allowing Alice to complete the necessary paperwork before their questioning.

Hermione, however, wanted a chance to greet Alice before leaving the courtroom and bid Harry and Ron do the same.

"Miss McNally," she said, coming straight through the crowd to Alice, "Hermione Weasley," her hand was outstretched for a shake.

Alice immediately recognized the name as she shook her hand, "Ah, I read your astute comments in the _Daily Prophet_ this week. It's wonderful to meet you."

"I can say the same, you were brilliant and I'm so glad you won," she said beaming with positivity.

As the two girls greeted one another, Harry and Ron stood to the side of Hermione. They each looked at Draco who hadn't left Alice's side.

"Malfoy," Harry nodded to his old enemy, but his greeting did not show any contempt. Ron also nodded, though he had his arms crossed.

"Potter, Weasley. I had a feeling you'd be here," Draco replied, also without any hint of disdain.

"Can't say the same about you," Ron said.

"Yes, well, working on this case was unexpected," Draco replied.

"It turned out well, though at first I thought it was a lost cause," Harry said trying to keep up the conversation.

"Well, Alice has a way of surprising people," his admiration was not hidden.

Ron's eyebrows rose, surprised by Draco's remark, but Hermione had turned from Alice to introduce them before he could respond.

"This is my husband, Ron, he works in the Auror's office here. And, as you might know, this is Harry Potter, he's the head of the Auror Office."

"Nice to meet both of you," Alice said, shaking their hands.

"It's nice to meet you too," Harry replied, "We were close to your grandfather."

Alice smiled and said, "I'm grateful for that."

Before leaving, Hermione said, "I run a monthly journal on wizarding world ethics; I would be honored if you could write for it."

"I would love to," Alice was delighted to have already met someone well connected in this realm; perhaps she could have a future here.

"Great. I'll owl you with details! Good luck with everything," she said, before leaving with Ron and Harry beside her.

Alice turned to look at Draco in disbelief, and he took her hand, "Come on, let's meet the press and get out of here."

Upon exiting the courtroom and returning to the grand atrium, Alice was again greeted by the bright lights of flashing camera bulbs. Draco waited by the side, trying not to bring too much attention to himself but also prepared if he needed to step in. Then an old, slightly overweight gentleman greeted her, followed by a blonde haired woman who Alice knew from her picture as Rita Skeeter.

"Alice McNally, Barnabus Cuffe, editor of the Daily Prophet," he spoke his title proudly.

"Mr. Cuffe, it's nice to finally meet you in person. Now about my book," Alice said, not wasting any time with pleasantries.

"She gets down to business, doesn't she?" The blonde haired woman butted in, "Rita Skeeter, charmed I'm sure," she offered her hand with feigned positivity.

"Right, nice to meet you," Alice shook her hand apprehensively.

"Miss McNally," Barnabus intervened again, "I have a proposition to make. Allow my people to publish more copies of your book and I'll even throw in a good royalty rate. How does 15 percent sound?"

"Try 20," Alice said, testing her luck.

"You drive a hard bargain," He said.

"The higher rate will offset any ill will caused by previous discrepancies," Alice replied.

Barnabus was slightly hesitant but since he did not want a case brought against him, he conceded, "Alright, it's a deal." The two shook hands to close the deal.

Rita Skeeter realized it was her time to talk, "Shrewd indeed, perhaps that's why you like the Malfoy boy." Her eyes glanced over at Draco and then back to Alice.

Alice looked at her a bit annoyed; she already disliked where this interview was going.

"Now we know where you were hiding all week," she said sharply, "Quite a feat considering their past anti-muggle debauchery. What would your grandfather say?"

Not wanting to speak in detail about her stay with the Malfoy family, Alice remarked calmly, "He would say the past is a foreign country where things are done differently. I think change is something that needs to be more widely accepted."

"Spoken like a true Dumbledore. And change for you now that your enchantment is broken?" Skeeter implored as her puffy green quill waited in midair.

The fast pace of everything that morning hadn't given Alice enough time to even consider the fact that her grandfather had broken the spell or that she would be able to use magic. She felt no different than before, no great revelation of change that warranted a leap in altering her lifestyle. "I have lived my life without the use of magic, to expect a radical departure from my daily routine would be asking too much. I do hope to have an engagement with this world now, however."

"No virtuous wand waving then, perhaps you are only good with a quill," her glasses tipped slightly down her nose as she peered disapprovingly at Alice who didn't respond. "Not necessarily following in the footsteps of her grandfather then," Rita told her quill as it squiggled down her words. "Any comments about the trial?"

"Well, I'm really grateful to those who stood by me so that I could continue on this path," Alice thought of Draco, his parents and Aberforth, and her grandfather who not only saved her life, but also gave her a new one to look forward to.

"That'll be enough questions for Miss McNally," a great voice interrupted Skeeter before she could respond, "We have taken enough of her time this week." The man was Kingsley Shacklebolt, the current Minister of Magic. He had come to pay his respects to Dumbledore's granddaughter and perhaps apologize for any wrongdoing on the Ministry's behalf.

He escorted Alice from the press's bombardment to a more secluded location.

Once they were out of hearing distance he said, "You must forgive the messiness of this situation, the press's involvement has been extraordinary."

"I think I'm partially to blame for that. My commentary sort of tipped them off," Alice thought back to the first owled mail she ever sent.

"Well, being Dumbledore's granddaughter is enough for interest and I believe it's been for the better," Kingsley replied jovially, "You have given us much to consider, as you said yourself, the unconsidered life is not worth living. I hope this will only improve our future handling of these events."

"I certainly hope so. If you don't mind me saying, having knowledge that I'd possibly lose all recollection of this week along with eight years of research, well, the stress was astronomical," Alice said venting her frustration.

"Again, an apology is in order. The length of your incarceration was unusual. I also would not have consented to staying at the Malfoy's, considering their past involvements."

"That was probably the best place for me to be. I owe them my sanity, especially Draco."

"Well, I'm surprised, but glad to hear that. In any case, I do need to discuss with you the importance of being discrete about this world. I am confident you know this now, but if you plan to live two lives, one outside this realm as well as one in it, then you will have to be cautious. No more books," He said the last sentence with a smile.

"I understand," Alice smiled back.

"Good. I knew your grandfather you know, he would definitely be proud to have a granddaughter like you," Kingsley led her out of the back room, bidding her farewell.

Just outside was Draco, now talking with Blaise who wanted to make sure his friend was sane.

"You do know what you're getting into?" asked Blaise cautiously.

"I do," Draco said, looking at Alice who just appeared from the back room. The two smiled at each other, feeling the emotional connection of triumph and something more.

"I'll leave you to it then," Blaise said, nodding to Alice before leaving the two alone.

Alice apprehensively walked over to Draco, she had not foreseen a happy ending back in the waiting room before the trial. Suddenly she wondered whether she was too bold to have kissed him. Were his feelings really the same as hers?

"I want to take you somewhere, then I promise I'll let you do whatever you want," Draco said, realizing he was no longer in charge of Alice's doings.

Alice smiled, "I guess I am a free woman now and you're also free of your task, you probably need a break."

"A break from you? Not likely," Draco said, taking her hand and leading her out of the Ministry where they could disapparate. As they walked through the grand atrium, Alice noticed the stares they received from some of the workers. She assumed, given enough time, such interest would die down. After this week, her name would no longer be in the paper and people would hopefully move on. Draco, on the other hand, ignored the stares, recognizably unconcerned with being seen with Alice.

The couple exited the grand entrance of the Ministry onto a cobbled street, which Alice presumed was another extension of the wizarding world, hidden from muggle London. She was again surprised at how antiquated it looked, like stepping back in time.

"Ready?" Draco asked intertwining his fingers with hers. Alice smiled and nodded back at him before closing her eyes.

Before she opened them again she felt a cool breeze go through her hair and she could smell evergreen trees. Draco had apparated them to the same location outside of Hogsmeade, where they sat and talked a few nights ago.

Opening her eyes, Alice looked upon the familiar landscape, the rising hills and glass surface of the lake. Then she allowed her eyes to sway over to the mountaintop where Hogwarts stood. There, glistening before her eyes was no longer a ruin but a magnificent castle with rising walls and tall towers. The sight made her speechless. Water welled in her eyes, as if she could finally release the stress of the entire week in a few tears. Draco brought his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to him.

"I don't feel different," Alice said, her voice slightly quivering, "But I guess I am." She wiped the few tears that had fallen away and faced Draco, "Thank you for everything. I couldn't have made it through this without you."

Draco brought a hand to her face and gently brushed her hair behind her ear. He then drew his head down to hers and gently kissed her on the lips. Closing her eyes, Alice melted in his soft touch. It was him who kissed her this time and suddenly all her apprehension about whether he felt the same way disappeared. In that moment she felt empowered to move in a forward direction, with Draco and with her new awareness of herself and the world.

That afternoon Draco disapparated Alice back to her flat in London and she admitted that it felt strange to have him leave without her. She had grown accustomed to being with Draco that she slightly wondered how she got around being alone before. This week had been surreal in the grandest sense that the mundane life in her tiny space in the noisy city left her disenchanted.

Before Draco left, he asked Alice to meet him the following day at the Leaky Cauldron. He figured he could take her to lunch in Diagon Alley and also bring her somewhere else, though he wanted to keep that part of it a surprise.

"So like a date?" Alice asked slyly, thinking it appropriate to assert that they were dating now.

"Yes, a date," Draco blushed slightly, "I'll meet you in the pub and take you through the back."

"You mean there's a passage there to the magical world?" Alice asked intrigued.

"Yes, there is. It's amazing you went through the doors that day, most muggles would turn away," he said, noting the enchantment on the pub's exterior to help deter the muggle passersby from entering.

"The place looked abandoned and I actually did hesitate, but when I'm trying to conduct research my mind is pretty set on the task," Alice said defiantly.

"Well, you shouldn't have a problem tomorrow," he said laughing, "I'll meet you at 12:30, during my lunch break?"

"I'll be there," she smiled, and noting that it was time for him to leave she added, "Please tell your parents thanks again and that I owe your mother a shopping trip."

Draco took Alice's hand and gently kissed the back of it, "I will, see you tomorrow Alice." Then he disapparated back home.

Alice stood motionless for a few seconds. The reality of the situation fully sunk in; there she was back at home, her memory intact, free to move about the two worlds she now knew existed. And something had also changed inside her; her grandfather had lifted the enchantment and her magical gene should be working, though nothing of the sort seemed apparent at that moment. She felt only the revelation of victory and the excited anticipation of her new relationship with Draco. Gathering her thoughts, Alice decided to do what must be done after a week of absence: a lot of laundry, grocery shopping, and finally responding to the numerous emails she had neglected. In some ways, the old routine felt reassuring after so much stress.

Draco returned to Malfoy Manor beaming inside.

A shrill voice from the far wall cried out, "Ah, young Draco has returned sans that filthy muggle." It was a portrait of Draco's grandmother, an unpleasant woman who was as pale as her hair was white. Then a portrait of a wizened old man, his great uncle spoke, "To think we had to endure such distaste all week."

"Continue to speak ill of her and I'll place another muffling spell on you," Draco said back; his spell was what kept the portraits from raising their voices while Alice was there.

From the drawing room, Narcissa appeared rushing towards him, followed slowly by Lucius.

Narcissa was overjoyed, "We heard the good news," she grasped her son's hands. "There was an early edition of _The Daily Prophet_ that explained everything."

"And a little more," Lucius said disdainfully.

"Ignore your father, I think it's wonderful," Narcissa said cheerfully.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, a bit unsure of what his father meant by "a little more."

"You and Alice, on the front page," Narcissa mused.

"The front page?" Draco was not sure whether to be surprised that the press would run with a story on his obvious relationship with Alice.

"Know that I approve," she remarked.

"Well, I certainly don't approve," Lucius said boldly, making his way towards Draco.

"And it's been a long time since we've cared about your opinion," Narcissa snapped at him but then quickly changed her tone when turning back to Draco, "Is Alice alright?"

"She's fine. Just getting situated back at home. She did mention that she owes you a shopping trip."

Narcissa smiled approvingly, "That girl. You are seeing her again soon, right?"

"Yes, mother," he suddenly felt like his mother was being a bit nosy.

"Good, don't think I'm prying. Just don't want you to let this one get away."

"Don't worry, I won't," Draco was a little shocked that his mother was so adamant about this.

"What has this family come to?" Lucius said disparagingly.

"Better things," Narcissa snapped angrily.

"It's alright mother," Draco said calmly, then turning to his father he said, "I know not to expect your approval initially father. I'm going to wash up then I'll be back down for dinner."

After leaving the room, Narcissa looked at her husband and said solemnly, "For once, just be happy for your son." Lucius said nothing though he suspected his wife was right.


	29. Chapter 29

In many ways, Alice felt like she had taken a long holiday albeit a stressful one. She had to throw away some soured food items in the fridge, go through several loads of laundry, take two dresses to the cleaners and make an uneventful trip to the grocery store to replenish what she discarded. In the mood to do menial tasks, she began organizing the place by finally unpacking the last of her moving boxes and filing several papers she had laid astray. Books that were out found a proper place on the bookshelf and newly revealed countertops were dusted to reveal a clean sheen. Without the clutter and the added benefit of objects being organized, her flat exuded a contemporary minimalist aesthetic with clean lines and stark color contrasts. After several hours she allowed herself to sit at her desk and use the technology she was previously so addicted to. She had still felt the mild pains of withdrawal from being away from the internet and her daily ritual of checking email and online news carriers. In just the few days since she last opened her inbox, it had already filled with numerous messages. A former professor wanted her to participate on his panel at the annual Science and Technology Conference that summer, which she quickly accepted. There were also several calls for papers with topics that looked promising. Already she felt re-immersed in her world. Job-wise, however, looked less promising as she searched to see if any related teaching positions were opening up in the UK. Many departments were unfortunately dropping professors instead of taking them in. She would have to keep looking.

Noting the time and quickly calculating the time zone difference, Alice decided to give her father a call to check in. Hearing his voice also brought a stabilizing comfort to her. Her father mentioned that he may be coming to London on a business trip in the next month or so. Since Alice now lived in London, it would give her an opportunity to meet up with him while he was in town. She also mentioned that she had met someone recently. This of course led her father to inquire about this young man's background. Alice tried her best to translate Draco's credentials into muggle terms, such as instead of calling him a potioneer, he was a chemist who was doing medical research. This little exercise made Alice realize the potential difficulties of living between two worlds. Undoubtedly, her father would invite Draco to dinner with them when he was in town and she knew such a meeting would be awkward for all the wrong reasons.

After the phone call, Alice heard a loud rattling noise and a pop coming from her laundry closet. Running over to the machine, she noticed water spewing from the lid as the clothes inside continued to spin. She quickly pulled the knob to turn off the machine only to have it break off. "Great," she said annoyed, now knowing she'd have to pull the machine from the wall to unplug it. Water continued to leak out and the machine rattled louder as Alice first tried climbing onto it to see if she could reach behind where the plug was. As she reached, the machine hissed and squeaked, and the rattling got louder. By this point, water started leaking into the kitchen area. No matter how hard Alice reached her fingers couldn't pull the plug. Frustrated, she began sliding out the machine from the wall, causing the front of her loungewear to become soaked in soapy water. The machine rattled louder as if it was resisting Alice. "Would you stop already!" she yelled, her voice trying to outdo the rattling noise. Suddenly the machine stopped even though she hadn't even gotten it halfway from the wall. "Seriously?" she asked herself, as she opened the lid to inspect the situation. It felt like the machine listened to her. She spent the night cleaning the mess on the floor and hand washing her laundry in the tub. "What is it with me and water?" she thought back to her tub mishap at Malfoy Manor. After calling building maintenance, she desparately hoped they'd replace the machine instead of repairing it. This was the second time it had leaked during a cycle and obviously their first repair hadn't remedied the situation.

Despite her washing machine troubles, Alice was able to sleep incredibly well. She attributed this to being back in her own bed after a week of absence. She planned on working on an article for a small newspaper that morning before heading off to the Leaky Cauldron to meet Draco for lunch in Diagon Alley. This venture would truly be her first step into the wizarding world as a free woman and having only caught glimpses of the world before, she was unsure of what or who she would encounter.

On the bus ride to Tottenham Court Road, Alice reminisced of her first trip there. To think she no longer needed to conduct research based on tabloid inquiries. She figured she would need to find a new research topic to keep her occupied these days. Perhaps she should just devote her time to turning her dissertation into a book or two. After exiting the bus, Alice found Charing Cross Road where the little pub was located. She was surprised that it was simply there in the open, an unhidden doorway to another world. Draco did mention an enchantment was placed on it to deter non-magic people from entering. As she stood a few meters away, she wondered if her magical gene had relapsed because she felt slightly apprehensive to go in. It was 12:25 pm, a little early to meet to Draco. She knew her apprehension was undoubtedly due to being headline news for the past week and, not having received a _Daily Prophet_ after the trial, she had no clue what was recently written about her.

Taking a deep breath, Alice entered the pub door, quickly sliding her oversized sunglasses on top of her head to meet the darker lighting. She found the use of candlelight odd but charming, even if it had the effect of making places seem creepier than they are. The pub was packed with customers and the loud noise of conversation met her ears. Like before, her entrance caught more than a few of the customer's attention. Without a doubt they recognized who she was and as Alice moved through the space she noted a _Daily Prophet_ with a picture of her and Draco on it, the headline read, "The Malfoys Hosted a Muggle?"

Suddenly a voice called out, "Hoi, your Alice McNally," and the man who Alice rightly assumed was one of the pub's owners came over to greet her. He looked to be the same age as Draco.

"Neville Longbottom," he said cheerfully offering his hand, "I fought on your grandfather's army."

"Hi," Alice assumed by his tone that his intentions were friendly and she realized again how everyone seemed to know her grandfather. "So you went to Hogwarts too?" she asked as she shook his hand.

"That's right, we were quite surprised that it was you who were in our pub last week," he replied.

"Oh, so you're the owner?" Alice asked about the assumption she had made previously, but Neville quickly corrected her.

"My wife is the owner," Hannah slowly made her way from the kitchen to stand beside her husband. "This is Hannah."

Alice offered her hand and said concerned, "I apologize for any disruption I caused last week."

"That's quite alright," Hannah said reassuringly, "I assumed you were out of place."

"That obvious, huh?" Alice thought back to how clueless she must have looked, especially when she inquired whether the place had internet connection.

"No worries," Neville added, "Glad things worked out for ya. What brings you back?"

Before Alice could respond, Draco showed up beside her and said, "She's meeting me."

Alice couldn't help her face from smiling at the sight of Draco, who had an equal I'm-glad-to-see-you look on his face.

"Draco, haven't seen you at Hogwarts in awhile," Neville wasn't surprised he was there, considering the news.

"I've been doing research at the Ministry for the past several weeks," Draco replied, "Though I heard recently that Slughorn might be taking some time off." He wasn't necessarily friends with Neville, but they remained civil to each other when they came in contact at the school.

"Rumor has it he might be retiring soon. Interested in the position?" Neville asked.

"If it's offered," Draco replied not feigning his interest. Surprisingly, teaching came more naturally to him than he thought though his teaching techniques may have been more reminiscent of Professor Snape than anyone else's. Slughorn had recently mentioned his desire to take a break, saying he wanted to change his routine and do some travelling.

"Do you teach there too?" Alice asked Neville, wondering what his relation to the school was.

"I'm the Herbology professor," he said happily; his passion and career finally found a meeting point at Hogwarts. He had spent a few years as an auror before taking the position and never looked back. "There's going to be a lot of changes at Hogwarts next year, several positions are opening up. Seems to be the retirement age for many of the professors. I feel like an infant there sometimes. Ya know Alice, you would make a fine Muggle Studies professor."

"Me?" Alice responded a bit surprised.

"Don't be surprised if you hear from McGonagall, she just as impressed as everyone else is."

"I'm sorry, who is McGonagall?" Alice asked, a bit confused by the whole remark.

"She's the headmistress of the school. Taught Transfigurations when we were there," he said, referring back to their student days.

"I see, I haven't thought about teaching in this realm. I still haven't been able to find a job in my own," Alice said jokingly although bitter. The job search was definitely irking her.

"Have to see what happens, but I'll let her know you're free," Neville said, "Don't want to keep you two, heading into Diagon Alley I presume?"

"That's right," Draco replied, grateful that Neville proceeded to end the conversation or he was going to. He was a lot chattier than he used to be in school.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Alice," Neville said.

"Same here," Alice replied and gave a quick wave to Hannah, who earlier had gone back to tending customers.

"See you around," Draco said before taking Alice's hand. His unexpected touch made Alice feel like a bolt of energy went through her.

After saying goodbye, Draco led Alice through to the back corridor and out into a courtyard which was completely walled in by a large brick fence. A couple of barrels were lying about and some weeds had grown through the stone flooring below. Alice wondered where the entrance was but knew enough about the magical world not to ask too hastily; most likely it would be revealed by some magical incantation.

Draco took out his wand but before tapping it counter-clockwise on the brick wall in front of them, he turned towards Alice and said warmly, "It's nice to see you again."

Alice couldn't help the smile from forming across her face, she felt the same way even if they hadn't been apart very long, "I was thinking the same thing."

Draco then tapped his wand lightly several times and the bricks began to separate to provide an entrance big enough for the both of them to walk through. Alice shook her head in admirable disbelief. Immediately beyond the gateway was what looked like a never ending street lined with antiquated buildings that reminded Alice of the places she saw at Hogsmeade; however, these shops were a lot more condensed and the street was more crowded with people. This might be the equivalent of the magical world's London she thought as they stepped through, unconsciously she pulled her sunglasses over her eyes.

Draco noticed this and asked slightly mocking, "You trying to hide behind those big things?"

Alice flashed a smile, "Do you think it'll work? And big is in this season."

"You just sounded like my mother," Draco replied amused.

"That's probably why we get along so well," Alice laughed and then took his hand as they strolled up the street. It was Draco this time who felt a bolt of energy rush through him at Alice's touch.

Alice couldn't help but peer into shop windows as they went along; there were garment stores, book stores, pet stores, broomstick stores, everything you'd imagine in a wizard shopping district.

"Students typically come here to purchase their school supplies each year, that's why there are so many generic places in one section. I wanted to take you to this curry shop up ahead," Draco noticed Alice's avid curiosity.

"I wondered, I thought three shops that sell only cauldrons was a bit much," Alice couldn't help but be amused by the stereotypical witch kitsch.

This whole time the couple was braving stares and hushed whispers from passersby. In some ways, Alice's oversized sunglasses brought more attention to her seeing how not many magical people wore them. Draco gave people rude stares if the onlooker's eyes lingered too long. Alice was able to ignore most of them since she was more content looking in shop windows, reading store signs and seeing moving posters plastered on walls. For her, it was like stepping into a foreign country for the first time where everything was new.

They reached the curry shop and Draco held open the door for Alice, which she found to be unexpectedly chivalrous of him and something she wasn't use to. His parents surely taught him manners. The small restaurant's tables were full of witches and wizards enjoying their lunch break, many no doubt were from the Ministry. Draco found a table near the back where they could eat out of view. Alice removed her sunglasses and placed them in her bag thinking she might keep them there later. Draco ordered on her behalf after Alice trusted his recommendation. The waitress recognized Alice but politely refrained from broaching the subject, perhaps weary of her date's wrath, and took their order without questions.

"You don't know how relieved I am to be here," Alice said after he ordered, "I woke up thinking it was a dream, that last week didn't happen."

"You're not the only one," Draco confirmed, as he admirably watched Alice's bright eyes wander to the ceiling and across the walls as she took in every framed picture on the wall. He liked how inquisitive she was, always pondering and discerning her surroundings.

"Sorry," Alice said embarrassed after she noticed Draco's eyes on her, "Everything's novel to me. To think the seven million people who live in London don't know this place exists, it boggles the mind," she scratched her head and then changed the subject, "So how was your morning at the Ministry?"

"Interesting to say the least. As expected I had to deal with some inquiries in my office. Luckily most of the workers know well enough to leave me alone," He smirked.

"Your bad reputation is good for this situation," Alice grinned. Inwardly she was attracted to his bad boy image, even if she knew he wasn't all that bad. "I didn't read the paper, but I assume by seeing a headline that you and well, we were mentioned."

"Don't worry, our relationship would be known sooner or later. Once people get over the shock of it, they'll move on..."

After lunch, which Alice thought tasted like her Aunt Marla amazing home cooking, Draco led her back through Diagon Alley, saying he had one more stop to make with her before he should return to work. For some reason, Alice did not find herself questioning him, something she hadn't done since they met; a trust she did not allot too many people. They passed by an extremely colorful building with a smiling ginger haired animatron man who repeatedly took his top hat off and on.

"What's this place?" Alice asked amused as she peered in the window and saw a young boy walking up the side of the wall.

"A joke shop where you can buy love potions, tonics to make you appear ill, trick wands, things like that. You'll find it filled with kids mostly," Draco continued to move down the street with Alice, her face now grimacing at the idea of love potions. They came upon a small shop whose interior and windows looked a bit newer than the others, like it had been remodeled in the previous years.

Draco stopped before the entrance and Alice read the writing scrolled across the building out loud, _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. _Her heart stopped and she didn't move, despite Draco moving his hand for the door knob. A wash of apprehension was apparent on her face, she was not sure she was ready for this. The idea of others doing magic was still settling in as reality for her, but the idea of her doing magic was not something she knew how to approach. Draco saw the uncertainty in her eyes and let go of the door knob and moved in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," he said concerned, "But I'd like to teach you magic, if only the basics, so at the very least you can maneuver this world better. You are ready for this Alice. I know you are."

Alice knew he was right, that she was ready, or her grandfather would not have lifted the enchantment. She nodded her head and tried to wipe the worry from her eyes as he led her into the shop. The tiny space was lined floor to high ceiling with small rectangular boxes of wands and the only thing that stood in front of them was a small counter strewn with several pieces of parchment. A well-used quill hovered and wrote notes on the paper that sat below its tip.

"Ahh," a meek voice from the back of the shop called out, "I've been expecting you Alice McNally."

Alice's eyes grew wide, he had to have seen her through the window she thought.

"To think you are fifteen years late in coming here, very rare indeed," the wizened man slowly walked from behind the shelves, his face layered with years of wisdom, his white hair incredible unkempt.

"And young Mr. Malfoy, I assume your wand is still in one piece," he looked observantly at Draco. Neither he nor his parents were easy customers to deal with.

"Yes, Mr. Ollivander, I'm only here to support Alice," Draco said politely, despite being slightly uncomfortable in his presence due to their past history.

"And she will need your support now more than ever. Very rare my dear," He gazed heavily upon Alice who hadn't spoken; her eyes looked a bit concerned and slightly skeptical by what he would say. He slowly moved towards the back of the store and pulled a box from the very bottom of shelf. It was slightly damaged on its front corner. He blew the heavy dust from its surface and walked towards the front counter, "Very rare that a wand has been waiting for you since your coming of age; that it should wait and survive the destruction of this very store."

He slowly opened the box and pulled out a non-descript stick of reddish brown wood, heavily polished and smooth from tip to handle.

"This is Burmese teak wood, very few wands are made of this material exist outside of Asia. Inside is a feather of an albino peacock, another rare specimen," he placed the handle in front of Alice who continued to stare at the wand before she allowed her hand to move towards it. She clasped it lightly and once Ollivander release his end, she felt a surge of energy fluctuate through her.

"Precisely," he mused confidently knowing his choice was correct. "This is your wand my dear, rare, for you are also rare," his eyes smiled at her and Alice gave him a quizzical stare.

"How do you know?" she cautiously asked, finding her ability to speak after a very odd experience.

"The wand chooses its owner, not the other way around," Ollivander said distinctly handing Alice the wand's box. She slowly placed the wand in it and closed the lid, feeling odd when she parted from its touch. "Your apprehension is well-expected for your age, but it should not stop you from accepting who you are now."

Draco stepped up to the counter next to Alice and placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. He also gathered several galleons from his pocket to pay for the wand. Ollivander's raised the palm of his hand at Draco to stop him, "This wand has no price. I am just glad to finally see it in the hands of its owner."

Ollivander then looked upon Alice whose face had softened considerably, though her mind was still in thought. She managed to say thank you to the old man before leaving the store, her boxed wand now securely placed in her bag.

"You okay?" Draco asked Alice, who looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Just a little overwhelmed. Hey, thanks for offering to pay, for lunch too," she had already made the mistake of pulling out the wrong currency at the restaurant only to realize that the magical world did not use the English pound. Alice was not a girl who expected the guy to pay.

"Don't be silly," Draco was still a bit surprised by the notion of a girl paying on a date; he never had that happen before. Most likely because most girls knew his family was loaded and expected such a courtesy.

"Then the next one's on me," she said, already thinking of where to take him in the muggle world.

"You sure you're okay?" Draco asked again, knowing Alice had intentionally changed the subject.

"It's a big change," Alice's voice grew a bit hushed, "I wasn't sure about learning magic. I mean, to suddenly change at this point in my life seems difficult. But you're right, I should know the basics so I can manage better in this world."

Draco understood her apprehension, she feared personal change and she still wasn't sure if she would fit in here. "It'll be easier than you realize," his tone was encouraging, "I was thinking of starting lessons tonight, if you're up to it."

Alice was amused by his eagerness; he wasn't going to let her not challenge herself. She smiled confidently at him and winked, "Good reason to spend more time together."

"That's right," Draco returned her smile with a slight blush, then mischievously added, "Don't expect me to go easy on you though."

"I wouldn't count on it," Alice replied equally charmed by the thought.

They had reached the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron and after a simple wand motion, the bricks peeled back, allowing them to enter the courtyard where Draco would have to leave Alice to return to the Ministry.

"I should finish around 5 today, so I'll apparate in slightly after that?" Draco asked with his hands clasped on the side of her arms.

Noting that they were alone, Alice moved forward to embrace him, her lips softly meeting his in a goodbye kiss. "Until then," she whispered after parting his touch. Draco nearly melted on the spot.


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N_: A bit of a short chapter, more to come soon! Thanks for all the lovely comments. :)

* * *

Alice returned home to her flat still contemplating the changes she was going through. She placed the wand box on her desk unsure of whether to open it. A strange feeling came over her when she first grasped it at the wand shop. Has this wand been waiting for her arrival for fifteen years as the old man Ollivander had said? Draco mentioned that wands were semi-sentient, working well with their chosen owner and not so well with others. The wand chooses you. It was that piece of wood that expressed the truth of her heritage, for the gene she possessed was imperceptible. Opening the box, she looked in on the polished stick as it quietly laid there. She could not bring herself to touch it at that moment, somewhat afraid of what it could do. "If only she was a child, for children's minds bend easily," she thought, "Just like learning a second language is easier for youth, learning magic would be too, wouldn't it?" Alice wondered if she was apprehensive because she felt incompetent, a feeling she wasn't comfortable with.

Upon leaving the Leaky Cauldron she picked up a discarded _Daily Prophet_ newspaper that highlighted the trial's outcome. She didn't read it on the bus because she was unsure how to make the pictures stop moving. Retrieving it from her bag she began reading the article under a repeating picture of her embracing Draco after the trial.

_Perhaps more surprising than the verdict or McNally's broken enchantment were the unexpected displays of affection from the Malfoy heir and the former muggle. Inside sources tell us that she spent the week in seclusion at Malfoy Manor, yes, the prior headquarters of You-Know-Who and his Death Eater clan! What would her grandfather say? How did Lucius Malfoy manage? From her entrance via Floo Network until her exit after the trial, Draco Malfoy did not waver far from the young woman's side. The couple even disapparated together after the day was done. Did this pure-blood prior Death Eater have a sudden change in heart upon meeting the enigmatic McNally? The Daily Prophet is just as curious as its readers and wants to know what you think! Comments are welcomed; just owl them along to our headquarters…_

"Lucius is going to love that," Alice thought sarcastically turning the page. The paper also had transcribed her speech, which she reread at that moment. She had not necessarily scripted what she would say; it had been the comments from several members of the Wizengamot which prompted her to mention her feeling of dehumanization. She was always surprised at her ability to speak sense under the most stressful circumstances.

That evening Draco would arrive slightly after five with a bag of books that he retrieved from Malfoy Manor on his way from the Ministry. Alice's wand continued to lay in her box untouched even though it was placed next to her on the desktop as she furiously typed away. She was finishing a short commentary for an online newspaper and did so right after Draco got in.

"Perfect timing," she said, finishing off the last sentence.

Draco looked around her now spotless apartment, noting her minimalist style which was somewhat unnoticeable under all the books and boxes she had before. "You cleaned," He exclaimed, sounding slightly impressed.

"I did, I figured I better if you're going to be my guest more often," Alice got up from her chair, "There's a lot more space now without all those boxes and I shelved all my books and filed all my papers."

"I like it, very simple." The modern contemporary style contrasted with everything he grew up in.

"Thanks, I think the organizing did me good. I seem to go in cycles. When I start a project my space is like this and when I end one it gets like before," Alice said looking around her flat.

"So are you starting a new project now?"

"Many," she blushed slightly thinking about one in particular. Draco immediately noticed her look and blushed as well.

"I brought some books, they're actually my class books from my first years at Hogwarts," he said handing Alice his _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_. "I figure it would give us a starting point."

Alice opened the front cover to find Draco's name scrawled on the first page, "Property of Draco Malfoy," it read in fancy cursive writing, "How cute," Alice mused noticing how professionally done it was for his age, "You were eleven, right?"

"Yeah," Draco suddenly felt embarrassed and hoped he hadn't scribbled anything incriminating in the book's margins, "First year is the most basic, we'll learn what you want to learn. I also brought grade two and three."

"This is great," Alice said flipping through the book's detailed pages. It was filled with pictures of wand motions along with straight forward text. Not terribly complicated to go through since learning it relied heavily on practice.

"I figured you're not interested in learning Herbology, Divination, or even Potions for that matter; just basic spells and charms," He placed the various books on her desk along with her notebook that she left with him before the trial. Alice was grateful that he remembered to return it. "Once you master these, I do want to teach you defense against the Dark Arts, for protection purposes."

"Protection?" Alice replied slightly surprised, "Well, I guess, but I don't think I'll need it."

"Perhaps not, but I'd feel better if you knew it," Draco could not hide his concern.

This made Alice feel warm inside, having someone that cared about her and caring equally about that person was one of the best parts of being in a relationship.

"I'll do my best professor," Alice said gleefully knowing it would make Draco blush, "And you're right about not needing to learn such things as Potions. If I ever need a brew made I have you!"

Draco was already blushing at the professor comment, "You're going to give me a hard time, aren't you?"

Alice smiled, "No, I'm usually a very good student but I do ask a lot of questions. Here's one, do most spells have a Latin base?" Alice immediately noticed the Latin used as the incantation to spells. She had studied it in school so it was easily recognizable.

"About 90 percent do," Draco said and then thinking it was time to show her something, "Where's your wand?"

Alice retrieved her wand from the box on her desk, it was the first time she touched it since being at the wand maker's shop. It felt comfortable in her hand and incredibly light.

"It's all in how you say it and in your wrist motions," Draco got his wand out from his inner pocket, "But even more so it's in your mind; you have to believe it to do it. Want to learn something easy?"

"Okay," Alice said skeptically, she was still apprehensive about doing magic.

Draco flicked his wand at the textbook Alice just placed on the nearby table and said, "Page 18." The book's pages turned and stopped on the commanded page.

"Showoff," Alice smirked as she went to look, it was a hover charm used to make items levitate. "Levitation, okay," she noted the wand motion and the words, _Wingardium Leviosa._

"What should we levitate?" Alice asked, looking around in thought. She pulled out a hot pink highlighter from her desk drawer and placed it on the table.

"That's fine," Draco remarked on her choice of object, "Watch me first." He swooshed and flicked his wand carefully while saying the words in a kind of rhythm, "Wingardium leviosa." Immediately the highlighter levitated off the desk and with his wand he directed it over towards Alice, whose eyes watched it move through the air.

"Just like that, huh?" Alice remarked, thinking it probably looks easier than it is.

"Now you try," Draco levitated the highlighter back to the table.

Alice nodded and held out her wand. She hesitated while swooshing it, "Could you show me the motion again?"

Draco went to stand directly behind her and placed his hand lightly on her wrist to help direct her wand. Feeling his heat closely behind her made Alice's heart flutter, especially when he placed his other hand on the side of her arm.

"Swoosh and flick," Draco said as he moved Alice's wrist in the proper direction. She repeated it several times.

"Now your flick needs to be directed at the object," he repeated the motion with her pointing at the hot pink highlighter on the table. "And during the motion you say with the correct intonation, Wingardium leviosa." He repeated the words with Alice as he directed her hand. "Go Ahead."

Draco released Alice's hand and stepped back from his position, though he had wanted to remain close to her. Alice swooshed and flicked while saying the words but nothing happened, so she tried again.

"A little slower," Draco said, noting she was taking the swoosh too fast.

"Wingardium leviosa," Alice said, but nothing happened.

"Visualize the object levitating when you do it," Draco thought perhaps she was only going through the motions but not believing in the outcome.

Alice nodded and concentrated, in her mind she thought, "Levitate hot pink highlighter," as she moved her wand and repeated the incantation. After she flicked, the highlighter began to wiggle and slowly it rose off the table into the air.

Alice's jaw dropped open and having lost her concentration completely it fell back onto the table. "I did that?" She stammered, still surprised that it worked.

"You did, but you have to keep your wand and mind focused on it to keep it in the air," Draco advised, though he was inwardly proud it worked for her. "Try it again, but don't lose focus."

Alice nodded and repeated exactly what she did the previous time with the same results. The highlighter levitated and Alice moved it around the room before lowering it back on the table.

"I can't believe I just did that!" Alice exclaimed, grinning happily.

"Not bad," Draco said coolly, wondering what reaction a snarky attitude would get.

Alice's smile left her face and was replaced with feigned shock, "Not bad? Not easily impressed I see. Well professor, let's try something else," Alice remarked with some confidence, amazed how suddenly she was eager to learn more.

"You should probably keep practicing that spell before moving on too quickly," Draco cautioned, though he was glad she was finally eager to learn. "Let's try it again on a different object."

Alice levitated a pillow, a coffee cup, and even a chair, which she found to be considerably more difficult due to its size. After lowering it back on the floor she went and flopped herself down on it. "Okay, I think I'm done," she said exasperated, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the strange experience.

Draco laughed at her and said smugly, "And here I thought you wanted to learn something else."

Alice's eyes shifted to him and she got up confidently, "Alright, what's next professor?"

"A simple one," Draco said holding his wand upright, with a short flick he said, "Lumos." His wand tip lit up brightly. Then he said, "Nox," which made the light extinguish.

"It's like a battery-less flashlight," Alice mused, though Draco didn't know what she meant, the she added, "It's actually kinda useful."

She positioned her wand upright and flicked it slightly as Draco did saying "Lumos." Nothing happened. She tried again, but no light.

Draco decided to guide her hand again, since her motions were slightly off with her chant. He moved behind her and rose her wand hand up. As he moved her wrist he repeated, "Lumos." Then they did it together, "Lumos." Suddenly her wand tip lit up causing her blue eyes to sparkle in wonder and a wide smile graced her face. She turned to meet Draco whose eyes showed pride in her accomplishment. He brought his free hand to her waist and pulled her closer to him, his other hand remained on her wrist. The kiss was instantaneous and magnetic, lasting longer than they have kissed before. The light from the wand highlighted their features and neither felt the need to stop. The moment couldn't have been more perfect.


	31. Chapter 31

"You sure this is okay?" Draco asked Alice as they were preparing to leave her flat. He was checking his outfit in the bathroom mirror. He had worn a less distinct suit of his; it was still his typical black but simpler. He also left off any unmuggle-like accessories, except for the large platinum ring he always wore on his right hand. They were about to leave to meet Alice's father in the city for dinner who was there on a business trip. Alice hadn't seen her father in months and he insisted that she bring Draco along, since their relationship was getting rather serious.

Alice stepped in front of Draco and softly played with his blazer collar, "You're nervous aren't you?" she asked sincerely, "Don't worry, he's usually pretty relaxed after a few drinks." She was toying with him a bit. Her father was protective of her and would probably ask him some questions, but worse, she knew he would mention unsavory moments from her childhood. Her father adored talking about his trials and tribulations in single parenting.

For Draco, his nerves were palpable. Not only would he be meeting his girl's supposedly protective father but having to pretend he was a muggle wasn't going to be easy. Alice already told him everything she mentioned to her father about his background which flowed considerably well with reality, minus the magic part. He memorized it and hoped he wouldn't slip up.

"Is this new?" Draco asked of the blue dress Alice was wearing.

"Yeah, your mother insisted that I should buy it," she said while putting in some vintage earrings.

"Well, it fits you perfectly," Draco admired her. "She's still raving about that shopping trip. I've never seen her come home with so many bags."

"She practically bought out an entire store and then some. We had to take two taxis home!" Alice laughed thinking back to the shopping spree she went on with Narcissa in London's West End. It was quite an experience shopping with someone who had no spending limit. "I'm glad she had a good time."

"Don't be surprised if she does it seasonally," Draco said, as he began to open the door for Alice. "Wait," he stopped Alice with his hand, "Aren't you forgetting something?" He looked at the table where Alice last laid her wand after practicing a glacius charm on a cup of water. Alice admittedly didn't bring her wand with her everywhere.

"Where I am supposed to stick it?" She implored holding her hands out, her dress was slightly form-fitting and she had planned to only carry a small clutch handbag.

"I'll bring it then," Draco picked it off the table and put it next to his in his pocket, "A witch shouldn't be without her wand."

"Good reason to buy a bigger handbag," Alice joked even though she knew Draco was right, she should get in the habit of having it on her even if she spent the day outside the magical realm.

They decided to take a taxi to the restaurant where her father, Thomas McNally, made reservations for the three of them. It was an upscale steak house so they made sure to dress the part and arrive appropriately, even though Mr. McNally wasn't fussy about such things.

During the last several weeks, Draco and Alice's relationship blossomed and matured. For both of them, it was refreshing to be in a relationship where they already knew each other's past demons; they had literally flushed out most of their history during the week before the trial. The newspapers commented on their courtship from time to time, but it was often more flattering than offensive. Many hailed it as an example of how youth are breaking the prejudice barriers in the wizarding world.

Draco and Alice spent a lot of their time together as mentor and student as they continued going through basic spells from textbooks. By skipping over charms that had less utility for Alice's life, they had already moved to the _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3_. Additionally, Alice could now use her wand to gain entrance into Diagon Alley, where she often met Draco for lunch before his research at the Ministry came to a close.

Draco's research proved incredibly successful, so successful in fact that he was receiving a gold medal for a Ground-Breaking Contribution at the annual International Alchemical Conference in Cairo that summer. His intensive file research done in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes allowed him to produce a cure for a lingering mental instability caused by coming in contact with certain cursed objects. His potion, a recombined brew, was already curing several patients at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Professor Slughorn unexpectedly took no credit for Draco's discovery, and rightly so. Instead, the professor assisted in its distribution. He was overjoyed that his student had gone on to greatness and it had earned Draco a coveted spot on his shelf of portraits. Draco was even allotted the title, Master Potioneer. Things could not have been going better for him.

The weeks following the trial were overwhelming for Alice but with the constant support of Draco she felt more confident of the changes she experienced. She had randomly met several people during her trips to Diagon Alley and mostly all those encounters were incredibly pleasant. Many mentioned that they had known her grandfather in some capacity, which didn't surprise her. Some wondered whether she would write another book. She had given it some thought, though it would have to come after she completed the book she was basing off her dissertation research. Not surprisingly, a few were bold enough to question whether she was really dating Draco Malfoy, to which she replied jovially, "There was no reason she wouldn't!" She had also written a personal essay for Hermione Weasley's ethics journal, outlining her initial reactions to the trial and general experiences in the wizarding world. In it she wrote highly of the Malfoy family, which may have surprised many readers, considering their Death Eater background. She also found out that she had a lot in common with the muggle-born witch after they had a spirited chat over some coffee. Alice was confident they would collaborate on something in the future.

From the taxi, Alice could see her father standing in front of the restaurant and she couldn't help running out the cab door to give him a big hug, "Dad!"

"Well look at you! As lovely as ever," he sounded astoundingly British compared to Alice's Americanized accent, "And you must be Drake." He intentionally pronounced his name wrong.

Alice interjected laughing, "It's Draco, Dad!" She had already told him this on the phone and she knew he was teasing her.

"Oh, of course it is! Sorry about that Draco," he offered his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," Draco said formally, shaking his hand firmly.

"I've heard a great deal about you," Mr. McNally said nudging his daughter as they were escorted by a hostess to their table, "Alice is quite smitten I can tell."

"Dad!" Alice rolled her eyes, at least he sounded like he was in a good mood.

"Then that's preferable for me sir," Draco replied, amused at their interaction.

After being seated and ordering a few drinks, Mr. McNally asked Draco, "So I hear you're a chemist working on some vaccines?"

"Yes, I've been compiling research on older vaccines mostly. But I'm finally getting back into the lab," Draco was slightly unsure what else to say but luckily Alice's father never let anyone talk too long.

"Well he has the same solitary patience as you," his eyes shifted twoards his daughter before turning back on Draco, "I always told her she better not find a boring old business man like her father."

"Oh Dad you're not boring, aren't you working on some major mergers right now?"

"Oh yes, pushing money around as usual. I remember when you were nine and having to go to your school on career day, I bored the socks off your class with my speech and you ended up punching some girl in the nose that afternoon," He laughed.

"She did what?" Draco was shocked.

"You better believe it! Had myself in the principal's office getting a rundown of her brute behavior. Should never have signed her up for that kung fu class. A little fireball she was."

Alice couldn't believe he already started with the childhood anecdotes, "Hey, I was nine and it was hard enough fitting in without everyone thinking your dad was a stuffy old British man. I was horribly mocked, what was I suppose to do? And it was karate, not kung fun."

"Right, well, it built your character my dear," he said jovially, "I hear she's quite a strong cookie now."

"I think so," Draco agreed while looking encouragingly at Alice.

"Ah smart man," he said, noticing their eye contact.

"You have to be smart to keep up with her," Draco said.

"That's all her mother in her," her father said admiringly, "She gets all the stubbornness from her as well."

Alice decided to change the topic, "Thanks Dad and I get my brazenness from you. So how are Jane and the two terrors?" She was referring to his wife and her two step-siblings, twins Johanna and Jacob.

"Keeping their parents on their wit's end as can be expected. They're fit to start junior high next year. Hard to believe!"

"They grow up so fast," Alice reminisced, she was in high school when they were born.

"As do their hobbies. This summer involves soccer camp, band camp, ballet camp, swimming camp and bloody hell knows what else. You were easy Alice, just sent you off to science camp and you were happy. Today kids do way too much."

"At least they're getting socially involved outside of school," Alice said, which was very unlike her at that age.

"Well, you turned out just fine! How about you Draco, how was your schooling? Play any sports?"

"Well, I actually went to a boarding school in the Scotland Highlands. It was as you would imagine it would be. But in terms of sports, I did play…" Draco hesitated, his mind trying to be a magical to non-magical word translator.

Alice intervened quickly, "He played cricket!"

"That is devastatingly British my boy… "

The meal went on with similar banter. Alice's father was always a good conversationalist and kept the topics changing and out of the ordinary. Of course, he would share several more embarrassing moments from Alice's childhood and she wondered why Draco was nervous. Mr. McNally would leave rather impressed with Draco and surprised that Alice was dating someone from presumably the upper crust of British society. He could also sense that they were very relaxed around each other which bid well for a relationship.

Outside the restaurant Alice gave her father another long hug.

"No tears now!" He said jokingly, even though Alice wasn't near crying.

"Dad, I'm not crying!"

"I know, I know, you never were much for crying," then he said to Draco discretely, "If she cries you know something's wrong." Alice just shook her head in disbelief at her dad's remark.

"I'll remember that sir," Draco laughed while shaking his hand.

"I trust you to take good care of her. Now," he rubbed his full tummy ceremoniously, "If I don't get some sleep I may never make it on my early flight out tomorrow. I'll see you kids in a few months." The family had planned to visit London that summer as they did every year.

"Call me after you land!" Alice reminded him, even though it was unnecessary to do so.

"Will do my dear, will do," he left via taxi and Alice and Draco waved him away.

Once his taxi was out of sight, Alice intertwined her arm with Draco's. It was Friday night so they had planned to stay out a while longer before heading back to her flat. "Tell me again why you were nervous?" Alice asked amused.

"Your father was more spirited than I expected," he replied, realizing his nerves were definitely ill-founded prior to their meeting. "I certainly now know a lot more about you!"

Alice blushed and shook her head, "I'm just happy he didn't bring any photographs. I'm sure he wished he did."

"It's all very endearing though, despite giving you a hard time he thinks the world of you," Draco said admirably.

Alice smiled, "Yeah, I know. He was a bit clueless at times raising me, but he really was an amazing dad. No matter the incident, he could always bring a smile to my face."

"I wish I could say the same about my father. He's extremely difficult to please," Draco remarked dryly.

"I think he's proud of you even if he doesn't know how to express it," Alice squeezed his arm a bit, "I mean, you're a Master Potioneer now, that's huge right?"

Draco laughed, he hadn't really tried out the title yet. "Well, it's been a good season," he said humbly and then looked at Alice who was staring at him admiringly.

"So modest, even I know the award you're getting is a big deal and," she slowed her pace a little, "You've saved a lot of people."

A small smile was apparent on Draco's face. He had freed several patients at St. Mungo's from their mental disease, giving them their lives back; an unexpected task from a former Death Eater. It did make him feel good inside, though he was not sure if it made up for his past wrong doings. "It's nothing," he said before taking his suit coat off and placing it over Alice's shoulders. The air had gotten cooler since leaving the restaurant.

"Always a gentleman," Alice thought as she enjoyed the residual warmth it contained. It was another gesture of pure chivalry she was still getting use to. "I think you're something," Alice said sweetly.

"C'mon Al, let's get a drink," he started calling her "Al" rather recently as a sort of pet name. He then placed his arm around her shoulder as they made their way to Charing Cross Road. Draco wanted to take Alice to a wizarding pub in Diagon Alley, one that often had a live band that played good music. Perhaps they would even dance.


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N_: Here's a longer chapter for everyone. Trying to develop the story a bit more. Please enjoy and thank you so much for the great comments!

* * *

Upon entering the pub large wooden doors, the sound of jazz hit their ears. The space was filled with well-dressed people who were around their age and several were on the dance floor in front of a swanky four piece band. They ordered two glasses of elf wine from the bar and found an open table by the side, but Alice thought it might be interesting to pull Draco onto the dance floor. Not that she was much of a dancer but the vibe was intoxicating. Draco didn't hesitate and they began to sway together to the music but it didn't take long for Draco to take the lead, grasping Alice by the waist and taking her by the hand. He completely surprised Alice with his moves as he swung her about, she had no idea he actually knew how to dance. She did her best to keep up and smiled through most of it.

After dancing a few songs, the band took a break and Alice and Draco returned to their table where their wine was waiting for them.

"I had no idea you could dance," Alice said a bit short of breath but she felt elated from the experience.

"I'm full of surprises," he remarked in his usual jokingly smug manor. His family's status mandated his knowledge of such ballroom etiquette; he had learned the fox trot, the waltz and so forth so he could be a proper gentleman at the formal events he was dragged to by his parents.

Before Alice could respond a busty brunette had approached their table.

"Long time no see Draco," the girl said, leaning on the table in front of him.

"Pansy, it has been a long time. I'm assuming you've heard of my girlfriend, Alice," Draco was not pleased to see his ex, but tried to brush it off and not give her the attention she probably wanted.

Pansy cringed at the mention of Alice, but nodded towards her and with an upturned nose, she quickly introduced herself before turning her attention back to Draco. She began to speak fawningly at him, "I read the news about your discovery, what an incredible task you've achieved and I was just thinking this morning that I need to see you again and here you are! It must be fate that brought us here."

"Right. Alice," Draco peered around Pansy who cut off his view of her, "Pansy and I went to school together," again Draco tried to get Pansy's attention off of him.

"Let me guess, you were in Slytherin house too?" Alice questioned, looking at her suspiciously as she placed her hand all too possessively on Draco's shoulder.

"That's right. Draco and I were close," her eyebrows flicked up cockily at Alice, displaying a hint of superiority. Draco had a look of annoyance on his face which Alice noticed much to her amusement. "So Draco," Pansy turned back to him and batted her eyelashes, "You want to do some real dancing?" The band had just started playing again, this time the melody was slower and several couples had made their way to the dance floor.

"No thanks Pansy, I rather not," he immediately got up from his seat and walked around her to offer his hand to Alice, "I much rather dance with Alice."

Pansy's face turned red with anger at being rejected. "What a disgrace!" Her voice was elevated enough to caused a bit of a scene. "To call yourself a pure-blood with this…" she wasn't really sure what to term Alice and paused a bit, "This half-breed muggle!" Several people nearby were now staring in their direction.

Alice had taken Draco's hand and rose from the chair to stand beside him; she really didn't know what to make of this obviously jealous outcry but she knew she wanted avoid its escalation. Draco's eyes narrowed on Pansy, but before he could rebuke her, Alice whispered to Draco calmly, "Let's just go." She even grabbed his jacket from the chair and her handbag off the table to motion that she was serious in wanting to leave it at that.

"You've changed," Pansy remarked disdainfully, not letting them around her, "Who's the blood traitor now?"

While Draco wanted to remain silent, he couldn't and replied strongly,"People like you are." He placed his arm around Alice's shoulders to escort her by Pansy who continued to block their path.

Pansy's face scrunched in anger and as they pushed her aside, she quickly retrieved her wand aiming it at Alice's back.

Before she could cast a spell, a loud "Expelliarmus" was heard nearby and Pansy was quickly disarmed.

The caster was none other than Harry Potter, who was at a nearby table with his fiancé, Ginny. Quick to his feet, he walked over to Pansy and said, "I wouldn't try that again Miss Parkinson, or you'll be indicted." Pansy was aware of Harry's position as the Ministry's Head Auror and quickly nodded, knowing she was lucky to get away with just a warning. Embarrassed by the whole situation, she fumbled to retrieve her wand before hurrying out of the pub.

Draco had already retrieved his wand from his side pocket but Harry had completed the task before him. Draco immediately said to Harry, "Thanks Potter." Alice was not far behind in thanking him, though she remained shocked of the situation. To think she was moments away from having something happen to her, although she wasn't exactly sure what that something would have been.

"Don't mention it," Harry replied, "If there's problems with her again, I'll make sure she gets more than just a warning."

"I guess that's the wizarding world equivalent of getting a gun pulled on me," Alice said, her right hand nervously fidgeting with her earring.

"Perhaps not," Harry replied, "Most likely she'd just turn you into something unnatural."

"Lovely," Alice looked wearily up at Draco who again placed his arm around her, rubbing her arm for reassurance, "Makes me glad I wasn't alone. Thanks again."

"It was nothing, oh, you haven't met my fiancé," Ginny had just approached the group, "This is Ginny Weasley."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Alice immediately noticed her resemblance to Ron Weasley, who she met at the trial, "I think I met your brother."

"Oh, right, you met Ron," Harry remarked quickly.

"There's quite a few of us Weasleys," Ginny joked with her hand outstretched, "It's nice to meet you too."

"Do you work at the Ministry as well?" Alice asked curiously, it seemed to be a main career hub of many Hogwarts students.

"No, I actually play quidditch professionally." Ginny played for the Hollyhead Harpies.

"Really? I haven't yet seen a game of quidditch, though Draco's given me a rundown of how it works. Sounds unimaginable," Alice was bit surprised since Ginny didn't strike her as a professional athlete, she was petite and very pretty.

"You should come to a game. I'm actually playing tomorrow, I can get both of you in if you like," she felt glad to offer.

"That would be amazing," Alice then looked at Draco for approval, "What do you think?"

Draco saw the excitement in Alice's eyes and quickly replied, "We'll be there. I have been meaning to take her to a game, just things have been rather busy lately," Draco suddenly felt a bit disappointed that he hadn't taken her yet; his recent research had been overwhelming him lately though there were a list of things in the wizarding world that he wanted Alice to experience.

"Yeah I heard. Congratulations, your potion really has been a life saver," Harry said with eager politeness.

"Thanks," Draco felt odd getting congratulated by his old enemy.

"Well," Harry started after a moment of awkward silence, "We should probably get going."

"Thank you again. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow," Alice said cheerfully.

"See you there," Ginny said, while Harry remarked, "Have a safe night!"

Once they left, Alice whispered into Draco's ear, sounding concerned, "Hope that episode with Potter wasn't too awkward for you." She understood the history he had with his former enemy and knew meetings between them weren't the most comfortable.

Draco was surprised by her concern for him when it was her who was almost attacked and by his ex no less. Of course, he wasn't happy that it happened to be Potter who saved the day. "Al, I'm more worried about you. I didn't intend to put you in danger."

"It wasn't your fault, besides you can't really plan who you run into." She tried to hide any awkwardness she felt about the whole situation.

Draco placed his hand on her back and said, "Let's get out of here." He thought they probably had enough excitement for their night out. His touch gave Alice reassurance and she looked forward to going back to her flat and getting out of her heels.

They exited the club's bulky wooden door and began walking through Diagon Alley. The dark street and closed shop fronts were illuminated by candle lit lampposts. Few people were out at this time, but a drunken wizard staggered by them and turned down Knockturn Alley. Draco grasped Alice's waist, pulling her closer to him, feeling protective of her.

"What's down there?" Alice asked curiously as she stopped to look around the corner where the man had turned. She had not seen this street before and as usual, her curiosity got the best of her as she neared the dark pathway.

"It's not a place you want to go," Draco said cautiously, trying to get her to keep moving in their former direction. "Shops there specialize in the Dark Arts and you can expect to find appropriate characters."

Suddenly two dark figures emerged from the causeway crossing right in front of Alice who was momentarily blocking the exit. Her heart skipped a beat and Draco's hand closed on his wand.

"Where do you think you're going honey?" The tall man breathed these words into her face while passing by, he smelled heavily of alcohol. Alice staggered back towards Draco who was not far from her.

"Malfoy, long time no see." The slightly shorter of the two men recognized Draco immediately; he was Bourgin's shop assistant several years ago when Draco had initiated his work on the Vanishing Cabinet. It was likely that he would inherit the shop after Bourgin passed on.

"Asher," Draco nodded, acknowledging the man before him.

"No longer in need of our objects I hear, it's a shame for a dark wizard to lose his nerve," Asher goaded maliciously, thinking he never had retribution for his maltreatment by Draco in the past.

"Who says I've lost my nerve," Draco replied with his eyes dangerously fixed on the man before him.

Asher let out a short cackle and then his eyes wandered up and down Alice's body, "And this must be Dumbledore's long lost muggle. Pretty little thing, best you keep a hold on her." His hand lifted towards Alice's cheek.

"Watch it," Alice said angrily, swatting his hand away; she was not pleased at being objectified.

"She has bite!" he laughed.

"And it's best you don't test it. If you don't mind," Draco began moving past Asher escorting Alice's alongside him.

"Tell your father I've acquired the object he seeks," Asher said discretely as Draco moved past.

Draco said nothing though he didn't know his father currently had dealings in Knockturn Alley. It slightly concerned him, especially since such actions could easily get him a sentence in Azkaban, especially considering his former record. Alice was also surprised, though she really didn't know enough about the Dark Arts or Knockturn Alley to understand what the man meant.

Once far enough away, Draco apparated Alice and himself back to her flat, but both were oddly quiet. It was a more eventful evening than either of them anticipated and it was full of strange revelations. Draco was worried how Alice would digest all of it. Right after they got back, Alice moved to the kitchen to put a kettle on the stove to brew some chamomile tea. She figured they could both use it during the inevitable discussion they would soon have. She quickly kicked off her heels and allowed her feet to relax on cold tile floor. Draco removed his vest and unbuttoned his top shirt buttons before he sat down at the small table.

After setting down the tea cups, Alice sat directly across from Draco and began removing both of her earrings.

"Listen, I…" Draco began unsure.

"You don't need to explain," Alice interrupted; she didn't want to hold him to any obligations.

"No, I do," he said adamantly, "A lot happened tonight. At the pub, well, Pansy was my girlfriend for a few years at Hogwarts, the relationship quietly ended before the war on my account. I'm not sure if she was happy about that." Pansy was a clingy girlfriend who gravitated to guys that were perceived as powerful and at that time Draco adored any attention he could get.

"Well, she did almost try to curse me," Alice sounded a little bitter but tried to steady her tone. "It's not so much that potentially jealous ex-girlfriends exist, it's dealing with them as witches that concerns me. I guess I now understand the need to know defense spells. I know I've avoided learning them, thinking it unnecessary, but there are dangers in your world that I have no chance against."

Alice preferred learning simple textbook charms that didn't test her true potential and Draco could sense that she was intentionally keeping her learning to a minimum. While her trial and associated commentary had garnered many supporters who respected her grandfather, it also ruffled the feathers of many pure-bloods who, since the end of the Second Wizarding War, continued to endure increasing scrutiny from the Ministry. Even Draco received minor discrimination from acquaintances that he crossed paths with and his father was still not keen of their relationship. He worried when she ventured into the wizarding world by herself, she would cross the wrong wizard's path.

One afternoon a few weeks ago, Alice's bus was delayed due to traffic causing her to be fifteen minutes late when meeting Draco for lunch at a café in Diagon Ally. When she didn't appear on time, Draco grew frantic thinking only the worse could have happened to her on her way. Of course, he hid such worries from Alice because he didn't want to seem over-protective, but such concern hadn't left his mind.

Relieved by what she said, Draco wanted to confirm her intentions, "So you will let me start teaching you defense against the Dark Arts?"

"Yes," Alice knew he had wanted to since the very beginning. "I've been naïve to think I don't need to know how to ward off unfriendly charms."

"I wish you didn't need it Alice," Draco said solemnly.

Alice grasped his hand from across the table and interlocked her fingers with his, "I know, and I don't want you to worry so much. When I was late meeting you for lunch a few weeks ago, I knew you were concerned. You didn't say it at the time, but I could sense it."

Draco was surprised she saw through his façade that day, "That obvious?"

"Not completely, but afterwards I even considered getting you a mobile phone so I could call you if something similar happened."

"I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea," Draco considered it, even though he found such muggle contraptions unnecessary burdens.

"Really? You'd carry around a piece of muggle technology?" She said surprised, never thinking he'd consent to it.

"Well, if it would let me know you're alright, then…" he stopped, noting the amused look on Alice's face, "What?"

"Nothing, just, you're really great," Alice's look was one of admiration. "Maybe I'll get you a prepaid one, nothing too fancy, just to use when necessary. You'll have to charge it when you're here though."

"Anything's fine," he said, not knowing anything about mobile phone options. "And about tomorrow, the quidditch match isn't until the evening, we can practice some defense spells prior to that."

"Sure, I'm game," it didn't surprise Alice that he wanted to get started on it right away.

"We'll have to practice at the manor though, we need more space than your flat can provide, plus, I don't want to ruin the place," Draco figured they could use the open spaces in the garden to practice since the weather should be mild tomorrow.

"What exactly will we be doing?" Alice asked curiously, the thought of ruining her flat seemed a bit ominous.

"Don't worry, I promise nothing too dangerous," Draco reassured. Hopefully their practice wouldn't entail any injuries.

"You'll have to teach me that, what was it…" Alice paused to think, "That expelliamos thing Potter did tonight."

"Ah, expelliarmus, yes, I'll teach you that," Draco was amused that she mostly remembered the spell's chant and that she continued to call Harry, "Potter," like he did.

"Draco," Alice's tone grew more serious and she had that curious look in her eyes; Draco knew all too well that she had question to ask, "You can kill someone with magic, right?"

Unsure of where she was going with this subject Draco took some time to reply, "Yes, the killing curse."

Intrigued by this unknown information Alice asked, "What are the statistics of it being used? I mean, in most muggle societies we have problems with guns, now certainly not everyone owns a gun but where there's little gun control, murders with guns are rather high. What keeps members of the wizarding world from using this curse more often? I mean, I don't read of murder in the _Daily Prophet_ too often, if I have at all."

"Well, it's one of three of what are termed Unforgiveable Curses. Unforgiveable in the sense that if a wizard casts any of them they get a mandatory life term in Azkaban. That sentence is enough to keep most from tempting it. And some wizards are simply incapable of casting them as well."

"Interesting," Alice pondered this information while taking another sip of tea, "And Aurors, they're sort of like police I suspect. I guess dealing with the likes of Potter and company doesn't allow criminals to get away with much."

"Well, in the past some have, but you're right, the dark is usually tamed by the light. The Dark Arts actually twists a wizard's soul, damaging it. It's not something you engage in lightly."

"I guess not. Was it like that for you?" Alice asked casually since Draco's past didn't really upset her.

Draco thought back to those two years where he engaged heavily in dark magic and when he used the Cruciatus Curse under Voldemort's orders to torture several victims. "I suppose it was damaging to a certain extent. I had an interest in dark items and dark potions since childhood, thanks to my father, but it wasn't until much later that I put any of my knowledge to use."

"Have you ever cast an Unforgiveable Curse?" After this question escaped Alice's mouth she thought perhaps she was prying too much.

Shifting in his seat, he replied slowly, "Yes, I have. Under orders I've used the Cruciatus Curse, it tortures the victim, but I swear I've never killed anyone." He sounded slightly defensive, and felt suddenly worried what Alice's reaction would be even though he knew it would be worse to lie to her.

"It doesn't upset me to know," Alice reassured, "Your history is what makes you the person you are today, and I don't want to be with anyone else."

Draco's face warmed up as Alice smiled sweetly at him, and then he said believing fully, "You're too good for me."

"You never give yourself enough credit. You know, I feel the opposite. I always think what do you want with a girl like me who can't even cast a proper spell."

"Do you really think that?" Draco responded surprised, "You know there's something I haven't told you. Even if your memory was obliviated after the trial, I wouldn't have given up on us. I would have found a way to be with you."

A little confused, Alice reiterated, "You're saying, even if I was a complete muggle you'd…"

"Yes, I'd still want to be with you. I'm in love with you, not your abilities or your heritage, I don't care if you can't cast spells, just you Alice."

The word love stood out amongst everything else to Alice, had he just said it? Alice's mind was in a whirlwind and she didn't know exactly what to say in return. "That might be the best thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Then I'm glad I said it," Draco replied, his eyes on Alice who was gazing at the table's surface in a daze. "I don't have a healthy past and as much as I try to move beyond it, I can't. Tonight at the entrance in Knockturn Alley, you witnessed that. My family has a long history with the Dark Arts, even I dally in it from time to time for my research." Then Draco lifted up his sleeve to reveal his left forearm that had a faint scar, the remnants of his Dark Mark, "And I'm always going to have this as a constant reminder of being a Death Eater."

Alice had not taken much notice to it before, she did not fully realize the significance of the mark and she suddenly felt bad about asking about his past, "If my questions were too bold, I…"

"No," Draco interrupted, "You have a right to ask and I'm glad you're not afraid to."

Alice stood up from her chair and walked over to Draco who remained seated on the other side of the table. She ran her fingers over his faint tattoo before taking his hand in her own, "No matter your past Draco, it doesn't change my feelings for you." She lightly pulled his hand towards her, prompting him to stand. He embraced her at the waist and her hands clasped behind his neck. They began swaying to inaudible music, their foreheads touching softly, their eyes closed.

"I wanted to get one more dance from you tonight," Alice teased.

Their bodies continued to sway and despite it being late, they showed no signs of stopping. That is until their lips met in a fiery kiss that burned with a deeper passion than ever before. Alice found her hands unbuttoning Draco's shirt as Draco began pulling up her dress. In the middle of this furry, they stopped to look each other in the eyes for confirmation before continuing.

Draco asked respectfully, "I can go, if…"

"No, stay," Alice wanted this more than anything.


	33. Chapter 33

The persistent beep of an electric alarm clock sounded nearby and Alice didn't move, snuggled in the arms of her partner who began to stir next to her.

"Al, what is that?" he whispered in her ear, assuming it was some odd piece of muggle technology.

"Huh? Oh," Alice's stretched her arm over him to push the clock's top button, "Sorry, I forgot to turn it off." Before she returned to her former spot, Draco embraced her in his arms, pulling her towards him. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes to listen to his breathing.

"We should probably get up," Draco said softly brushing her hair from her face, though Alice didn't want to move.

"Do we have to?" she asked childishly, lifting her head to look at him. She knew very well Draco would want to get started early on training her with defense spells.

They both smiled at each other warmly, both reveling in this new experience of waking up together.

After another moment of gazing at each other Alice conceded to Draco's request, "Alright, I'll go make coffee," Alice said, thinking she would need it to start her day, "And tea for you," she added, knowing Draco didn't like the taste of her favorite black concoction.

She slowly slid off the bed and grabbed her silk robe to slip on before heading to the kitchen. They would eat a humble breakfast of cereal and bananas, not quite Malfoy Manor cuisine, but the only option Alice had on hand. After getting a shower, Alice searched for some comfortable clothes to wear while practicing spells. Draco warned her that it could get bit rough when casting attack spells and she didn't want to ruin any of her good garments. She decided a pair of dark wash skinny jeans would be adequate, and she threw on a cotton blouse on top. She also put a change of clothes for later that afternoon for when they would head to the quidditch match. Alice was definitely looking forward to seeing a game. The spectacle of wizards on broomsticks was something she had yet to witness, not to mention a sport that was so outside her world of imagination. Draco also looked forward to seeing a match. He had not been to one in ages, having no time with his research or feeling sociable enough to bother.

"This is a new look for you," Draco said marveling at the casual girl before him.

"I know," Alice said feeling underdressed for a trip to Malfoy Manor; she slipped her feet into some simple black ballet flats. "At least I won't be too upset if these get ruined. I haven't worn jeans since I was taking classes. Glad they still fit."

"You don't always have to dress up," Draco said.

"Neither do you," Alice replied, thinking Draco was just as guilty of overdressing.

"I don't," he replied defensively while straightening his blazer. His dark suits were all he's ever known, more of a status symbol than anything else.

"Oh sure you don't," Alice smirked, "For me, once I became a teaching assistant I couldn't very well look like one of the students."

"You do look a lot younger than you are," Draco agreed.

"It's true, my first day of teaching proved that. No student believed I was the TA. Blessed by good genes perhaps," she said amused as she placed her bag on her shoulder.

"Are you ready Miss Good Genes?" he joked.

Alice smiled and added smarmily before taking his hand, "Ready Mister I Don't Overdress."

Draco quickly disapparated them to the foyer of Malfoy Manor and when they reappeared both were laughing. Before they got their total bearings back, Fritz had come running out of the drawing room towards Alice, ecstatic to see her again. It had been a few weeks since she last visited, since Draco and her often spent time at her flat.

"Well, I feel welcomed," Alice said to Fritz, as she knelt to scratch him behind the ears.

"Something uncommon for this household," Lucius remarked snidely from the drawing room door.

Draco gave his father a scathing look, trying to communicate to him not to say anything rude. Even before he could add critique, Alice quickly greeted him, "Hi Mr. Malfoy, I hope you're well." She never really minded his remarks, accepting it as part of his unchanging character. Draco, on the other hand, wished his father would be a little more cordial to her.

"Long time no see," his tone remained snide.

"Al, I'll change then meet you out in the garden?" Draco took Alice's bag from her shoulder so he could place it in his bedroom.

"Oh," Alice remembered her wand was in the bag, "I'll need this," she grabbed it out and then motioned for the large wolf hound to follow her to the far end of the foyer where French style doors opened to the side patio. On her way she heard voices above her and looking up she noticed some portrait paintings were moving. She caught a glimpse of a pale white-haired woman in a large frame glaring down at her.

"That muggle half-breed again. Disgrace!" It was Draco's decrepit grandmother wallowing above.

This was a new experience for Alice, she knew figures in photographs moved but she did not know that painted likenesses could speak, or be sentient of their surroundings. She continued to move to the patio doors, a little shocked at this revelation.

Back in the foyer, Draco locked eyes with his father who had an undeniable disappointed look on his face.

"Spending the night with her now?" he inquired.

"Concerned?" Draco said nonchalantly.

"Not necessarily, you're an adult. And as an adult you're reminded of this family's reputation," he said strictly, subtly displaying his dislike of his relationship.

"Forgive me for trying to transcend it. More than I can say for you. Dealing in Diagon Alley lately?"

Lucius gave him a questioning look.

Draco then added, "Unexpectedly ran into Asher, said he's acquired an object for you."

"Ah yes, a small trifle, not of any concern," he remarked uninterested.

"You do know the consequences of such actions," Draco warned.

"Like I said, not of any concern."

"Right," Draco scoffed skeptically, "Well, I'll be in the garden with someone who believes this family's reputation is better than it is." He walked towards the stairs, leaving his father behind him.

Lucius had still not gotten use to his son's confidence to defy him, though he knew it was a trait he passed along. Additionally, he was still uncomfortable with his and Alice's relationship since he could sense that it was of a more serious nature, one that could possible lead to marriage. Letting go of the Malfoy's claim to pure-blood ancestry through his son was difficult for him to fathom. It wasn't that he didn't like Alice, on the contrary, she was intelligent, good mannered, and made both his son and his wife happy. She just was not of the right ilk in his mind.

Draco changed into a new shirt and new pair of slacks before heading to the garden to meet Alice. He also hung Alice's change of clothes in his cupboard. Heading out to the garden, Draco found Alice with his mother casually chatting in the rose garden.

"Good morning mother," Draco greeted his mom.

Narcissa's face lit up upon hearing her son and she quickly turned to greet him. "Good morning. When you didn't come home last night I was worried."

"I apologize," Draco said respectfully.

"Oh, you don't have to," Narcissa's tone expressed that she knew why, making Draco feel a bit embarrassed.

Alice decided to change the subject for Draco's sake, "I told her you'd be teaching me defense spells out here today."

"Oh Draco, do go easy on her," Narcissa said warmly. "I'll be in the green room figuring out the guest list if anything happens. Remind your father, if you see him, that he's supposed to help." The Malfoys planned on holding a black tie event in a few weeks to celebrate Draco's alchemical award. She had already gotten headfirst into the party planning and would be inviting numerous elite wizarding families. It was awhile since the Malfoys had a proper reception, though before the war they use to have them more often for various occasions.

Draco led Alice to the large grass area where a few white peacocks were grazing. Fritz followed closely behind them and upon his arrival the birds quietly scuttled away, hoping not to be bothered by the large wolf hound.

"What should we start with?" Alice asked, not knowing what to expect. Even Draco was a bit unsure, since Alice didn't know any attack spells yet.

"How about starting with a demonstration?" Lucius called out from behind them, "I'm assuming Alice has never seen a wizard's duel, it would be educational."

"I like that idea," Alice chimed, thinking it would give her an idea of the nature of these spells.

"Okay, it's been awhile," Draco replied suspiciously, it had been years since they last dueled for practice purposes. Then he guessed as to the purpose, "Avoiding mother, I assume."

"Momentarily," he said before stylishly removing his wand from the top his black cane. Its hidden placement was something that Alice was completely unaware of; "Clever," she thought while backing away from them. Then Draco retrieved his wand from his side pocket.

"Let's do this properly Draco," Lucius said haughtily, meaning that he and Draco should bow as they do in a proper duel.

Father and son lifted their wands to their face and bowed before moving away from each other. She could see they have done this before and perhaps were looking forward to going at it again. Within seconds they were casting spells and blocking each other's with equal intensity. Alice didn't catch any of the spell's names since most were being cast nonverbally. She watched amazed as light erupted from each of their wands in various colors. One spell cast by Draco hit Lucius in the chest, spinning him backwards until he hit the ground. He quickly counter cursed form his lower position hitting Draco with equal furry, knocking him back onto the grass. They seemed to be venting some anger with their attacks as they continued back and forth. Suddenly, Alice felt a numbing sensation in her gut which caused her to fall over onto her back. A curse blocked by Lucius had ricocheted directly towards Alice.

"Cease!" Draco yelled at his father before quickly running to check on her. "Alice?" his voice was fret with worry.

Alice coughed while getting her breath back, "That knocked the wind out of me." She sat herself up and said calmly, "I'm fine." She feigned any discomfort she was feeling in her lower abdomen.

"Perhaps you should start with blocking," Lucius said arrogantly to Draco, unconcerned.

"You think?" Alice said sarcastically as Draco hoisted her up on her feet.

"You sure you're alright?" Draco asked again, still worried.

"Yeah," Alice replied, pushing her hair behind her ears, "At least I know how it feels now. Better than paintball at least."

"What?" Draco inquired.

"Never mind, muggle thing," Alice tried to brush off her comment; she was thankful that the stinging sensation didn't last as long as when she got hit in the stomach by a paintball back in high school, all because her father thought paintballing would be a thrilling daddy-daughter experience. She really hoped it left no welts.

"Does she even know any spells?" Lucius asked Draco curiously.

Alice answered, "A few, I don't think any of them are harmful though." She was unsure if she could turn a person into ice with that glacius charm she just learned; maybe she should ask.

The Draco added protectively, "Nothing of that sort yet father, she only started learning a little over a month ago."

"For being Dumbledore's grandchild you'd expect…"

"Expect me to be a lot better than I am, no kidding," Alice said amused, even though Lucius was trying to be snarky.

Lucius smirked; he really could not get Alice riled with his remarks.

"By the way, good match father," Draco did enjoy battling him like old times.

With a slight smile, Lucius replied, "It's good to know you haven't gone soft." Both father and son gave each other an encouraging look of respect which Alice noticed and was grateful for. She knew Lucius cared for his son and it was only in those subtle moments that he actually showed it. Then Lucius added, "And I do suggest that you are harder on your student, if she is going to progress respectfully," his eyes shifted to Alice who had a slight smile on her face.

"Of course," Draco knew his father was right, especially if he feared every time Alice got hit.

As Lucius turned to leave them, Alice said respectfully, "Thanks for the demonstration, Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius nodded curtly and reluctantly walked towards the green room where Narcissa was most likely waiting for him to prepare the guest list.

Before Draco could speak, Alice spoke excitedly, "That was incredible, I had no idea!" She held up her wand inquisitively.

"Luckily it wasn't a more serious curse that hit you."

"Well, I wouldn't think you were trying to kill your father," Alice said jokingly.

"Don't be so sure," Draco joked half-serious.

"He's a bit uneasy about us, I know, but give him time," Alice said encouragingly. "At least it's obvious he doesn't hate me."

Draco cracked a smile, "No one should be able to hate you Al."

"You want to bet?" She nudged him and then said optimistically, "But honestly, he'll come around."

For the next several hours they practiced; Alice learned how to produce and block a stunning spell, though she found it more difficult to disarm her opponent, and she so wanted to learn "Expelliarmus." Draco knew Alice could learn things relatively quickly at first, but since she didn't practice enough she'd forget how to cast several spells properly. Her other downfall was that her mind over analyzed, when she needed to be more instinctive.

"I think we should take a break," Draco said, "You did well for your first time."

"Thanks, I have a good teacher," Alice was really pleased with how Draco taught her; he had patience and was always encouraging. "Maybe you should teach at Hogwarts next year."

"It's not for me to decide, McGonagall has to, though Slughorn wouldn't mind if I replaced him," Draco recently heard from Slughorn about his retirement. Draco's pending award and new title as Master Potioneer helped his cause for the position at Hogwarts, though his Death Eater background caused some to have reservations. He was unsure what his chances were amongst the other candidates and would have to wait to find out. It would be a lifestyle change, but one where he would feel like he was doing some good.

Likewise, Alice had heard from Professor McGonagall via owl post a week ago concerning whether she had any interest in teaching Muggle Studies part-time to sixth year students. Hogwarts had recently been redesigning their upper-level curriculum and had an interest in creating one mandatory Muggle Studies course for all sixth year students. Their current Muggle Studies professor would be overwhelmed handling an extra course and McGonagall thought one taught by someone like Alice would be an enlightening experience for students. One of Alice's reservations was her lack of experience teaching teenagers, though the learning style at Hogwarts was considerably more university-like. Her other concern was not knowing enough about the magical world yet to really engage with students or to maintain any authority over them. McGonagall invited her to Hogwarts on Wednesday to discuss things further.

"I'm still debating whether teaching there is a good idea," Alice said, as they walked towards the manor, intent on going to the downstairs kitchen for a bite to eat.

"Well, you'd only have to teach older students, sixth year, sixteen and seventeen year olds. I think you could handle it," Draco said encouragingly.

"Probably, I was already thinking of possible coursework and textbooks, though I'm unsure what they learn in the other Muggle Studies classes." She suddenly thought it was too bad Draco never took them.

"Well, you'll be able to ask McGonagall and Professor Chorice on Wednesday. From what I hear, you'd be pretty much in charge of creating the new course."

"It's an exciting prospect, I could do a lot with a course like that. Though I'm sure when you were a student, you would have loathed being forced to take it."

"Oh definitely, but with someone like you teaching, maybe I'd have a change of heart," Draco joked, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly.

"Hot for teacher, huh?" Alice teased back, poking him in the gut playfully.

Laughing at her gesture, Draco warned half-seriously, "Just don't eat or drink anything the students give you."

"See that's exactly what I'm afraid of!" The students will be more advanced in magic than I am. Doesn't bode well for my confidence."

"They wouldn't need to know your ability level and plus, you do have all summer to advance."

Upon entering the back of the foyer, they were greeted by the unfriendly voice of Draco's grandmother. "You should be ashamed! Being with an ill-bred muggle!"

Draco gave the portrait a nasty look before speaking, "Alice, I never introduced you to the Malfoy family in portrait form."

"Okay, so I wasn't going crazy when I heard voices," she said relieved as she slowly gazed up at the portraits which were now peering down at her.

"They sort of echo the people they represent," then he said sarcastically, "The lovely woman calling you names a moment ago was my grandmother."

"Nice to meet you," Alice called towards the painting knowing it would probably irk her.

"Despicable! You have no right to talk to me," the decrepit old woman cried back.

Alice giggled a bit, the disdain for her was too full on it was humorous she thought.

Angered by this, the old woman said, "Laugh at me you will not, you filthy muggle!"

Alice shot back, "I apologize, but doesn't it get old being so negative?"

A portrait on the opposite wall decided to join the conversation, it was Draco's great uncle. "You have no understanding of your position."

Alice put her hands on hips, "I think I do have an understanding of your understanding of my position."

Draco laughed, Alice was obviously having fun with this.

"This is absurd!" Draco's grandmother said, "If your grandfather were here…" Suddenly, into her painting stepped Abraxus Malfoy, Draco's grandfather, who must have wandered there from his portrait in the grand hall.

"So this is the mudblood?" he said peering down at Alice who hadn't removed her hands from her hips.

"Actually if you want to get technical, I'm quarter-blood," Alice replied calmly. "I'm also part Irish and some French and Austrian mixed in but then we're getting too technical."

"What is she going on about?" the old woman asked her husband who was still peering down at Alice with eyes as cold as Lucius's.

Abraxus then sounded like he was going to lecture Alice, "The Malfoy family's proud pure-blood ancestry spans generations, only Draco seems to forget this."

Draco crossed his arms and said under his breath, "Oh please, that's what got our family into the muck to be begin with."

"Ancestry is important Mr. Malfoy," Alice added respectfully, "But if you're basing it entirely on bloodline versus historical circumstance then it's empty pride. At least Draco's accomplishments have earned this family true pride recently."

"Of course my grandson offers this family pride," the old man snapped.

Then his grandmother added, "But not with the likes of you!"

"By disrespecting Alice you also disrespect me," Draco said a bit aggravated.

"You will be disowned child!" his grandmother spewed back.

"Oh I doubt that!" Narcissa had entered the foyer from the garden followed by Lucius. She never enjoyed dealing with her in-law's portraits; they always gave her a hard time about the blood traitors in the Black family. "Draco is the best of all of us and Alice just might be his better half. Deal with it!"

"Lucius, even your wife! The shame!" the old woman bemoaned.

"Son, you have a lot to explain," Abaxus demanded.

Lucius rolled his eyes, "It's not very much my choice, nor is it yours. Leave it at that." He continued to walk past them uninterested in justifying his words or perhaps exhausted from dealing with his wife and the guest list for the past two hours.

Narcissa looked at Draco and Alice, "You know it's the same as talking to the wall with these three, best not to give them the time."

They followed Narcissa out of the foyer while hearing additional banter from Draco's grandmother behind them, "That Black family, so many blood traitors, figures!"

"Alice," Narcissa turned to face her, "Don't let them bother you, can't change the essence of a person who's gone. And Draco, what were you thinking? You know they were only going to be rude."

"Apologies," he said meekly to Alice, though he knew Alice wasn't upset with him.

"I was probably goading them on; it was my first experience with a talking portrait."

"And an awful one I might add. This family and my own had an unhealthy obsession with their pure-blood ancestry and it's about time such ideology was stopped. I don't want you to feel unwelcomed here Alice."

"Oh no, don't worry, I don't. I promise not to take any of it to heart," Alice replied quickly.

"Good. Well, I'm zapped," she said exasperated. "Your father and I have finally finished the guest list for the event. It was more difficult than expected; many acquaintances are still in Azkaban."

"As they should be," Draco replied.

"Now don't you forget why we're not there," she cautioned. It was her lie to Voldemort about Harry's death that saved the whole family from incarceration. "Besides, it's time to make new acquaintances, though my choices certainly didn't bide well with your father. Alice, have you figured out what you'll wear to the party?"

"I think I'm going to have to go shopping, I really don't own anything too formal." Alice had already searched through her closet and nothing seemed appropriate for what sounded akin to a royal ball.

"That'll be fun," she mused.

"Definitely," Alice agreed.

"She's really going to outdo herself this time," Draco said of his mother and her plans. He wasn't exactly keen on having an event in his honor but had little say in the matter. For Narcissa, this was proper protocol and she was looking forward to entertaining guests.

"Only to a certain extent, since it is a big deal," Narcissa said of his award, "People would wonder if we didn't hold one."

"I would let them wonder then," Draco said in a sigh making Narcissa's eyes narrow on him.

Alice interrupted, "Well, I'm looking forward to it Narcissa, and please let me know if you need any help," which immediately made her smile.

"No worries dear, just get him in the right mood for it," she gave another look to her son, "Now I better go check on your father. He left not too pleased."

After her exit, Alice and Draco continued their way to the kitchen.

"Surely it won't be that bad?" Alice asked Draco, she really had no idea what to expect.

"You'll learn very quickly how these social gathering are all about face. I don't fault her for wanting to do one, just hate to throw you through the social rigor already."

"I'll be fine," Alice admired his concern. "Pure-blood ideology doesn't bother me so much when I think of it objectively. Besides, I get to wear a nice dress," she tried to get him to crack a smile.

It worked, a smile formed on his face right away.

After lunch they continued to practice in the garden for another two hours before it was time to get ready for the quidditch match.

Draco led Alice upstairs to his room so she could change her outfit. This was the first time seeing his room so she felt a bit apprehensive about entering. What she saw actually fit well with what she imagined. It was large space, a lot bigger than the guest room she stayed in, with high ceilings and an extended study to the side. The aesthetic meshed well with the rest of the manor, though it was less ornate and composed mainly of the color black with hints of green throughout. One thing that stood out to Alice was a Slytherin house banner on the one wall and a unique looking broomstick perched in a corner. It was kept in immaculate order except for the desk in the study, which had several layers of parchment laid out on top. Alice assumed these notes made up part of his award acceptance speech that he mentioned he'd been struggling with. Lining the walls of the study was his personal library, composed of old course books and tomes on potions and various other magical interests. The far wall was lined with high arching windows that provided enough light throughout the day along with an unimpeded view of the back gardens. Draco had taken the liberty of hanging Alice's outfit in his cupboard, which he retrieved for her upon entering. Alice noticed the line of black clothing inside as he pulled out her blue jumper dress.

"Thanks for hanging it up," Alice said impressed by the gesture.

"Don't mention it," he handed her the dress and led her through the side door which opened into another room where the bath was located. "I'll probably change as well," he said before leaving her.

Not being shy, Alice quickly unbuttoned her tunic and removed her pants. "Do you think there will be a lot of people there?" She called out to him, as she tried to find her brush in her bag.

"Probably, these games usually sell out…" he reentered the door not expecting her to already be half undressed.

Catching him staring, she teased, "See something you like?" She proceeded to brush her hair in front of the mirror, pretending to go unfazed by his blushing.

Feeling bold, Draco moved slowly behind her and placed his hands around her waist as he softly kissed her neck. Alice couldn't help but lean into him and close her eyes. She felt completely safe in his arms. They both opened their eyes and looked at each other together in the mirror. At that moment they knew that they each felt the same; they each felt completed by the other.

"Not much time," Alice said sadly, referring to the start of the game.

"A lifetime hopefully," Draco replied, referring to something completely different.

Alice turned around to face him, her eyes wide upon his. At that moment she said something she was not sure she knew how to say, "I love you." The words dripped from her mouth freely and he pulled her closer to him. "I love you too."

The display of affection lasted moments longer before they both knew if they wasted anymore time they would miss the start of the match.


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N_: Thanks for waiting!

* * *

Alice and Draco apparated just outside the quidditch stadium, which was located in the town of Holyhead in the northeast of Wales. The oval arena towered above the lush flat landscape, showcasing several great spires wrapped in the home team's colors of green and gold. Alice and Draco followed the crowd of excited quidditch spectators to the stadium's gates. Thanks to Ginny Weasley, both their names were on the reserved ticket list, and they started their hike up the rafters to seats in the mid-section of the arena.

"Not bad seats," Draco said, commenting on their location. He and his family typically had boxed seats at matches so it would be a new experience for him to sit with the general crowd. Not surprisingly, some fans nearby were already heavily into the mead and chanting fight songs.

Alice noted the height of their position and the fact that what separated her from the grass field stories below was a thin metal bar. She immediately felt a mild case of vertigo as she peered over the edge. She wasn't necessarily afraid of heights, just unused to being so high up. "We're awfully high," she said trying to keep her eyes on the bleachers on the other side of the stadium.

"You'll be able to see most of the action from here," Draco said; then he noticed a mild look of discomfort on Alice's face.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" He asked, a bit surprised if she was.

"No! Just getting use to it," she said embarrassed. "So who's the other team?"

"The Ballycastle Bats, they're currently second in British and Irish League, but the Harpies have been doing well this year. Should be a good match."

The sound of a loud horn echoed through the stadium and an announcer's voice began introducing the teams. First announced was the Ballycastle Bats. There was a sizable amount of away team fans on the opposite side of the stadium cheering as they flew onto the pitch. They were dressed in colors that complemented the black robes and scarlet bat logos of their team. Alice marveled at the fact that it was indeed broomsticks the athletes were riding as they zipped through the air; it was her first time seeing what she had only heard about.

"They surely are brooms," she said to herself quietly, though Draco heard her and remembered this was her first time witnessing this form of magical transportation.

Then the announcer called the home team onto the pitch with the added spectacle of fireworks that lit the sky green and gold. Out flew the Holyhead Harpies, dressed in dark green uniforms and with a gold talon emblazoned on their backs. The crowd on their side of the stadium erupted in cheers.

"They're all woman!" Alice noted excitedly, extremely impressed by the integrated nature of these games. The other team also had woman on it alongside the men. "This is fantastic!"

"Why's that?" Draco asked, unsure why she was so elated.

"You would never see this in the muggle world, sports are highly gendered and segregated," her eyes continued to follow the broom flyers through the air, "Hey look, there's Ginny!"

After the team's entrance flights, they began to line up for the release of the various quidditch balls. Alice was more than confused as to why there were so many kinds when it seemed the most important one was the golden snitch; at least she was told catching it would end the game. Before her mind started questioning anymore, she reminded herself her promise prior to coming - to refrain from all intellectual queries and simply enjoy the sport as spectacle. She bravely placed both her hands on the bar rail and watched as players swooped and jibed through the air, passing, beating, and knocking each other around.

"This is pretty brutal," she said to Draco who was equally enjoying the game. The Harpies were holding their own though the Bats were extremely aggressive.

"It sure is," Draco confirmed, "I always had injuries when I played."

"You were a seeker, right?" Alice asked moving closer so she could hear him better amongst the cheering.

"Yeah, for a few years," Draco said, they were both watching the game while conversing. "I started my second year and quit in my sixth for obvious reasons. You never played sports right?"

"No, never. Most I did was some martial arts through junior high school since Dad insisted I do something non-academic. Only had time to study after that," Alice replied.

"You up to riding a broom?"

Alice's eyes went wide, "Me, do that?" Just then a Ballycastle chaser was almost knocked off his broom.

Draco laughed, "It's easier than it looks. Besides you're suppose to learn in grade one."

"Really? That soon?"

"I started riding as a toddler, much to my parent's dismay."

Alice laughed, "I can imagine. Isn't it uncomfortable?"

"There's a cushioning charm on it, so it's not. I'll get you on one before week's end," he said assured.

"Great," Alice said halfheartedly, maybe she was afraid of heights.

While the game continued, Alice found herself most amused by the fans around the stadium. They reminded her of football fans in the muggle world since they were completely into it, chanting and cheering in unison. It would be nearly three hours before the snitch was caught, leading the Harpies to victory on their home turf, though the time seemed to go by much quicker. During the game Alice saw death defying stunts, free falls, harder checks than in hockey, and more brutal hits than in rugby. She enjoyed every minute of it as spectacle and couldn't believe the stamina of the players; especially if it was true that games could last several days at a time.

"What did you think?" Draco asked as they filed their way through drunk and elated Harpies fans to their section's exit.

"Incredible, honestly, I don't think any muggle sport comes close."

"Score another one for the wizarding world then," he joked, as if he was keeping a tally of things Alice found preferable in the magical realm.

"Perhaps!" she laughed.

"Draco my boy!" A jolly voice cried out from the adjacent aisle. Much to Draco's surprise, it was Professor Slughorn.

"Professor Slughorn, didn't expect to see you here," Draco greeted.

"Ah well, Holyhead's coach Gwenog Jones was a member of the Slug Club years back, free tickets anytime I like, thought I'd catch a game on this fine Saturday since I'm on permanent break you know," he said proudly, "Oh," he then noticed Alice, "This isn't?"

"Professor Slughorn, this is Alice McNally," Draco introduced her.

"It's nice to meet you sir, Draco's told me an awful lot about you," Alice said graciously.

"Well, I'm sure he boasts, I am much less interesting in person," his jovial manner slightly reminded him of her father, "And you, I believe everyone's heard of you."

"Well, I am much less interesting in person too I'm sure," Alice replied.

"Touché," he laughed, "Your grandfather and I go way back at Hogwarts, both started teaching there around the same time. Now I never expected the news of you or that you're keeping company with the likes of this chap here."

"I've never been one to do what was expected of me sir," Alice said cheerfully, "I'm actually visiting Hogwarts next week, I'm very much looking forward to seeing it."

"Ah that's right, for the Muggle Studies position," he recalled, "A bold choice by McGonagall, nice to see some progressive reform going on in the curriculum. And Draco, since you're top choice for my position, it'll be the two of you at Hogwarts next year. Young blood is always good to have on hand."

"I was unaware I was top choice," Draco said slightly surprise.

"Ah, I always spoil surprises. I know you'll need to think about this and please do. As I said, the pays not great, but if you don't get a water closet as an office it's a good position. You should hear something in a soon I presume. Now I must pay my respects to Coach Jones. Lovely meeting you Miss McNally, and Draco, I'll see you in Cairo in a few weeks." He was referring to the International Alchemical Conference where Draco would receive his award.

After Slughorn left, Alice said excitedly, "You heard what he said, you're top choice."

"I'm still surprised. The position would allow me to follow in the footsteps of some amazing Potions professors, Slughorn and Professor Snape. I know I mentioned Snape before to you in passing, but he was actually my favorite professor growing up. He had style of teaching that was unique but somehow I feel it's slightly worth emulating." His words really couldn't display how much he had admired Professor Snape, especially for his bravery once it was revealed.

"Sounds like you're considering the position even more now," Alice intertwined her arm with his as they continued their stroll through the rafters.

"Perhaps," Draco felt energized by her touch, "At least I could keep an eye on you."

"Oh so that's the plan," Alice laughed, "Well, it would be appreciated. You'll have to tell me more about this professor over dinner." Their plan was to find a restaurant in Holyhead to eat.

They slowly made their way back down to ground level where several fans were still celebrating their team's victory. Most had dispersed onto the lawn in front of the stadium and were setting off magical fireworks as they chanted cheer songs.

"No matter wizard or not, fans are the same everywhere," Alice said amused by the display of camaraderie.

After a quiet dinner, Alice and Draco disapparated back to Malfoy Manor and while entering the drawing room, Alice's mobile phone began buzzing in her bag. A look of contempt for obnoxious muggle technology washed over Lucius Malfoy's face. She quickly retrieved the device from her bag and noticed it was her father. His plane must have just landed back in Los Angeles.

"Excuse me a sec, it's my father calling," she said politely before moving slightly away from the group to answer it.

The Malfoys could still make out Alice's conversation, "Dad, hey, you're back?…How was your flight?...Only you would complain about business class, really…I'm good, I'm at Draco's right now…Okay, I will. Well, send Jane and the kids my love…Talk to you soon. Bye."

After she hung up Alice returned to the group, "Apologies, he was in London on business this week and just flew back to LA."

"And you can speak to him on that device?" Lucius asked abruptly, perhaps never seeing the most current mobile technology.

"Luckily I have coverage here," she said looking at the few bars allotted her. "It's newer technology I suppose, allows me to do more than just talk."

"Muggles and their technology," He replied disdainfully.

"Well, without magic what do you expect? We don't live in caves."

Hoping to quell anymore of her husband's rudeness and interested in the topic of Alice's father, Narcissa asked, "So your father flew home you said?"

"Yes, it takes about 14 hours by plane."

"Oh dear, that's dreadful."

"It is, isn't it? Most likely within the next few decades we'll have faster passenger jets as technology evolves."

"From what little we know, it's probably already moved eons. Draco, how did meeting Alice's father go? I do hope he was polite Alice."

"He definitely was on his best behavior," Alice replied, amused by her concern.

"Thanks," Draco smirked at Alice before continuing, "He was rather easy going and extremely friendly. I think it went well."

Alice agreed, "I got the sense that my father approves."

"So glad to hear that," Narcissa replied showing some relief, "When will he be in London again?"

"In early August actually, along with the family. Each year the company he works for has a weeklong conference at the main headquarters and since the kids are still out of school, it's a good time for them to visit relatives, well, mainly my aunt and uncle who also live in London."

Not even thinking it over, she said, "Well, I think we're going to have to invite them here for dinner."

"Narcissa, you're not serious?" Lucius cried; although seemingly uninterested in their conversation, he heard this suggestion clearly.

Alice quickly said, "The logistics of doing so would be, well, what if…"

"I insist, no magic involved, we'll keep the house elf upstairs and we'll act as muggle as we can manage. And if we slip, we can always…"

Draco interrupted her, "I'm not sure if Alice wants us to be messing with her family's memories."

"Well it's only proper that we meet her father," Narcissa said adamantly.

Alice added, "Don't get me wrong Narcissa, the gesture is well-received, but are you sure you want to deal with four muggles here?"

"For once Alice has a point worth listening to," Lucius insisted.

Confident, Narcissa replied, "We can manage. It'll be a good learning experience for us."

"Continued association with muggles, this family…" Lucius started.

"This family is not biased to muggles," Narcissa reminded him. "Alice is proof that muggles are not so different from us."

"Mother, you continue to surprise me," Draco said admirably. He really was appreciative of his mother's sudden open mindedness.

"And she continues to horrify me," Lucius said dryly.

Despite Lucius's characteristic remarks Alice was honestly touched, "The fact that you're willing to accept my family into your home, it means a great deal to me."

"That's perhaps an even more important reason to do it," Narcissa said, grateful that she could make Alice feel more a part of the family.

* * *

Wednesday morning had approached and it was time for Alice to make her first trip to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to meet Headmistress McGonagall and the Muggle Studies Professor, Eleanor Chorice. She had spent the previous day writing up a tentative syllabus and polishing her curriculum vitae for the position, even though the meeting sounded like less of an interview and more like a proposal for her to teach the course. She had heard so much about Hogwarts, met so many of its previous students and professors and even seen its brilliance from afar, yet she had not walked its halls. Of course, in the back of her mind, it felt strange to enter the place where she could have spent her school years, that is, if her grandfather hadn't intervened.

That morning, Draco would take Alice to Malfoy Manor where she would use their fireplace Floo Network connection to go to Hogwarts. She discussed with Draco the possibility of learning how to apparate but much to her surprise you have to be licensed to do so through the Ministry of Magic. This involved taking a series of courses and passing a test, none of which she thought she was ready for. She felt awful inconveniencing Draco like he was her personal cabby, but he of course didn't feel that way in the slightest.

Alice decided to dress professionally, wearing her favorite light grey suit. She packed her bag with her resume and course syllabus, giving the course reading material one more look over before placing it in the file. They were all muggle-written books such as Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize winning _Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies_. She thought that would be her teaching trajectory; teach students about muggles through a muggle viewpoint but leaving it open for discussion and critique from the students. Hopefully she would be allowed to use her technology in class for power point and video, otherwise it would take a lot more imagination to make her course interesting; especially for those students who would prefer not taking the subject.

After getting the rundown from Draco, Alice felt somewhat ready to use the Floo Network by herself for her first time. She practiced the correct verbal incantation and put the right amount of powder in her hand. With a kiss of good luck from Draco, she was ready to depart.

The slurry of green flashes transported Alice directly to the McGonagall's office, which was also the former office of her grandfather. Gratified that she was transported in one piece, Alice eagerly stepped out of the dank fireplace to behold the medieval architecture of the circular space, presumably it was in one of the many towers Alice saw from afar. The walls were lined in books and large gold and steel armillary spheres were placed throughout.

"Ah, here is my granddaughter, right on time too," a familiar voice said nearby.

"Grandfather?" Alice looked up to see the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore gazing down on her. His portrait was the largest of the many on the walls above the main desk.

"Never knew you had a family," another portrait exclaimed. It was Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the school's founders.

"It was a secret I could never divulge," Albus said in his characteristic slow raspy tone, "Welcome to Hogwarts Alice."

"It's an honor to be here," Alice said, smiling at him, already relieved that these portraits seemed more cordial than the ones at Malfoy Manor.

Nearby a raggedy old witch hat stirred in its nook, it was the Sorting Hat, awoken from his slumber a bit late he said, "Curious, never got to sort this one." Alice's eyes went wide to see that it was indeed a hat talking.

"Of course not, I made sure she grew up in the muggle world far away from here," Albus explained.

A nearby portrait of a man dressed all in back with shoulder length black hair spoke, it was Severus Snape, "A wise decision considering."

The hat shuffled in its spot again, seemingly excited about the missed opportunity to sort Dumbledore's offspring, "I wonder…Gryffindor like the family? Or maybe…"

"Hush," Albus told the hat and then looking upon Alice he said calmly, "I apologize for the wait Alice, Headmistress McGonagall had to check in with Hagrid, who is our games keeper. There was a troll spotted on the western front. She'll be back shortly."

Alice's eyes showed a mild look of surprise, did he just say "Troll?" she thought, though she managed to act unconcerned, "Oh, that's fine. I can wait."

"She's lovely Albus, I can see the resemblance," Helga Hufflepuff, a robust woman with ginger hair said.

"Perhaps she is also powerful?" The portrait was of Phineas Nigellus Black, a former headmaster.

"I assure you I only have a way with words," Alice interrupted, amused at how many portraits were on the walls. This school's history was beyond her.

"Alice's potential is in teaching our students about the other half of this world's inhabitants. I am definite she will be successful," Albus said proudly.

"I still don't agree with a mandatory Muggle Studies course, an unnecessary burden on pre-N.E.W.T. year studies," Salazar Slytherin replied dryly.

"I hope to make it less of a burden and more of an exploration of student's already held convictions," Alice replied while looking over a gold armillary on a side table, "Children are raised to believe certain things, indoctrinated into a belief system without question. In my own society this is true of religion and very often race or ethnic relations. We're evolutionarily programmed as young children to not question the authority of our parents, our clergymen, or our teachers, so we believe in things that just aren't true. For this realm, there's a general misunderstanding and prejudice of muggles. What I want to do is offer students the facts and provide a place to freely discuss and questions these opinions."

"A noble endeavor," Godric Gryffindor said admirably.

"And exceptionally needed," a woman's voice from the other side of the room sounded, it was Professor McGonagall who was followed by Professor Chorice, "I apologize for keeping you waiting Miss McNally."

"No worries," Alice turned to greet them, honestly hoping the troll incident was nothing of a real bother. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise, this is Professor Chorice. We were both impressed while following the trial and since you're on route to be a teacher, we thought this position would be fitting." The women greeted each other and Alice retrieved her curriculum vitae from her bag and handed it to McGonagall. The old woman really looked like a stereotypical witch, Alice thought, black pointy hat and all. "I'm exceptionally honored to be considered. I of course now know of my grandfather's history with the school and to be asked to teach here is touching." She glanced at Dumbledore's portrait and he nodded at her admiringly.

Putting on her reading glasses, McGonagall quickly looked through the neatly typed print, "I see you do have some teaching experience."

"Minimal I'm afraid," Alice said humbly, "I was charged with several discussion courses while completing my dissertation and independently taught an introductory course last summer."

"It's actually more than I assumed for your age," McGonagall looked up at Alice through her half spectacles. "We have no doubt that you can teach a class to sixth year students, the question is if you can manage at Hogwarts. While we want to first and foremost ensure the safety of the students, we also think of the safety of our teachers. Muggle Studies is a delicate subject, teachers have been murdered in the past for teaching it and we do not want a repeat. I just want to make sure you are aware of this prior to accepting the position."

"I am," Alice replied quickly, remembering what Draco told her about the death of a former Muggle Studies professor, "The touchiness of the subject is something I learned quite quickly during the trial. My plan is not to discourage student's opinions, only to give them ample opportunity to question and defend them amongst others. Hopefully this doesn't upset students or their families, but I am fully ready for the responsibility if it does."

McGonagall was relieved by her words, "Now that you're aware of this, you mentioned in your last post that you had ideas for the course?"

"Yes," Alice retrieved more paperwork from her bag to give to McGonagall and Professor Chorice, "I began developing a course syllabus with required texts and discussion topics. Now, I haven't seen Professor Chorice's coursework, though I know there's a focus on history and I thought I would take a more contemporary outlook, but any and all input is welcomed."

"This is quite good," Professor Chorice said looking through the pages, "All muggle-written material?"

"Yes, they're reputable texts and since they're written for a more general audience, I believe sixth year students can handle them and perhaps even enjoy them."

"I see you added a few movies to your list," McGonagall again peered at her above her spectacles.

"Just a few, I'm a strong believer in immersive learning, so visual cues are part of the curriculum. I was unsure whether Hogwarts is equipped to handle electricity."

"It's something we can set up on your behalf," McGonagall said, "I like how you've made the course into a discussion as well."

"The style is somewhat akin to what one would find in a university setting. Assigned readings, discussions, debates, written assignments, mostly the coursework is structured around students displaying their thoughts on various subjects and not blatant memorization of facts."

"I think this is what's needed Minerva," Professor Chorice said agreeably, "I teach from textbooks and students are somewhat hesitant to express an opinion. It seems that you welcome it."

"I do, even the bases opinions will be given credence in my class. What I want is for students to think critically about their understanding of their world."

"And to explore outside that world, I see you even tentatively scheduled a fieldtrip to a muggle museum in London?" Professor Chorice added.

"If it's possible, of course, I'm not sure if it is," Alice said slightly embarrassed.

"It might not be, but I do like your initiative to make this course unique, I think students would appreciate that. We have wanted to change the curriculum for some time, and we've finally gained approval from the Ministry," McGonagall noted, "In some ways your trial helped our cause.I was hoping to give you a tour of the school grounds now that you're here."

"That would be great, I've only seen it from afar," Alice was rather excited to see more of the castle but she was also surprised that her ideas for the course were so readily accepted. It made her incredibly relieved and more optimistic about her future position.

Upon leaving the office, the Sorting Hat squirmed again, "Perhaps a Ravenclaw…hmmm."

They led Alice down a spiraling staircase which closed itself immediately after they left the bottom steps. A large stone gargoyle turned into place, presumably guarding the entrance from intruders. The outdoor hallways reminded Alice of walking through Salisbury Cathedral with its gothic high vaults and arched glass windows. They then descended another set of staircases to reach the ground level. Looking up at the tower above her, Alice noticed the staircases were moving and McGonagall explained that the castle's architecture is constantly changing; a unique feature of Hogwarts initiated by one of its founders, Rowena Ravenclaw. Alice wondered how students ever found their destination or how she would ever find the room she would teach in while this morphing went on. The overwhelming scale of Hogwarts then presented itself in the Great Hall with its four rows of long tables, which Alice presumed were to segregate each of the four houses. The house system was a feature she did not like about Hogwarts, since she preferred more student integration versus segregation, but she knew better not to criticize an age-old tradition, which seemed to be highly valued here. Looking up, Alice thought the ceiling was missing and that it was a much lovelier day outside than what she experienced that morning in London. That was until McGonagall explained that the Great Hall's ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky above them. This made Alice realize that her time at Hogwarts would undoubtedly be a learning experience.

"It's uncomfortably quiet here without the students," Professor Chorice said, "Normally this hall is full of chatter and mischief."

"I can imagine, this place is enormous. How many students are there?" Alice asked still in awe of its grandeur.

"Around a thousand students," Professor McGonagall said, "You'll have about 150 students to teach for sixth year."

"I see," Alice now understood why Professor Chorice may have not wanted to take on this class. Alice wasn't overly concerned by the number, having once been a teaching assistant for a lecture course quite larger than that and for a professor who utilized her time to the utmost.

They continued to walk through the grounds to the entrance courtyard, and McGonagall continued to explain details of the school's history, the important ground rules for students, the changing of the seasons, particularly the brutal winter, and what is beyond the immediate castle.

"I don't expect you to be an expert on all this," McGonagall said in the midst of her explanations, "I'll also make sure to assign you a student assistant during your first few weeks until you get to know the place."

"That would be appreciated. I can imagine myself taking a wrong turn."

McGonagall added, "The Forbidden Forest is also off-limits to students, I suggest to you too for safety reasons."

Alice peered into the dense woods half-expecting to see a troll stumble out. She wondered with its proximity to the school if they encountered any tense situations with its creatures.

They next took her through another entrance and up to the fifth floor where the Muggle Studies classroom was located. It was incredibly spacious and had various muggle technologies throughout, although most were extremely outdated, like an old boxy television set and antiquated telephone that had the spin dial. Shelves were lined with boxes of projector slides as well as musical instruments. Alice realized it would be a good idea to bring in quite a lot of props while teaching to keep the student's view of muggle society current.

They then returned to the Headmistress's office, gaining entrance through the towering gargoyle via password. McGonagall then explained more details of her appointment, "Since you are part-time, we unfortunately cannot offer you residence on the grounds. However, for more convenience in traveling here, we've set up apparition certification lessons at the Ministry on your behalf."

"Oh, thank you," Alice didn't think she was magically ready to learn apparition, but she knew it would be beneficial if she did. Perhaps through standardized lessons she'd have a chance of being successful.

"Also, we'd definitely like you to be here for the sorting ceremony, when new students are chosen for their houses. As with most new teachers, you can take the train into Hogsmeade. It leaves September 1st from King's Cross Station. For the time being, unless Professor Chorice has anything to add, that should be all."

Alice thanked McGonagall and Professor Chorice for their time and she was told that all future information would be posted to her via owl, which she requested go to Malfoy Manor. An owl stopping and often times waiting by her window was a peculiar occurrence for central London and she didn't want it to attract unnecessary attention. Before entering the fireplace, Alice nodded to her grandfather's portrait and Dumbledore smiled at her proudly, not needing to say anything. Taking the right amount of floo powder and preparing her words, she said "Malfoy Manor," and the green flames quickly engulfed her.

"Unexpected location," the portrait of Severus Snape proclaimed.

"It proves that she practices what she preaches," Dumbledore's portrait quickly replied.

McGonagall added, "Speaking of, Lucius Malfoy is precisely the kind of parent I am concerned about with adding this new curriculum. If she can manage him, then she can manage anyone."

Alice was nothing but relieved when she realized she reappeared in the Malfoy's drawing room fireplace, precisely where she left. Draco would be meeting the head of the International Alchemical Society for lunch to discuss his upcoming award, so that left Alice with some time to spare and she intended to spend it in the green room, which, like Narcissa, was her favorite room in the mansion. Stepping out of the fireplace she was immediately greeted by Fritz and she rightly assumed that Lucius Malfoy was nearby. She then heard Mr. Malfoy's voice along with another man's.

"If you'll excuse me a moment," Lucius said to his guest before going over to where Alice was standing, "Back so soon?" He said hushed; he did not sound pleased.

"Sorry Mr. Malfoy," Alice said a bit concerned, she had no idea who the man dressed in the dark robes was or whether she was interrupting something important.

"Go upstairs, quickly," he said in the same hushed manner and Alice noted some urgency in his voice.

Alice nodded and walked as fast as she could through the drawing room, but not before catching a good glimpse of the man standing there. He was extremely tall and thin, with a trimmed black beard and heavy eyes. He did not look friendly.

"You'll have to forgive the intrusion," Lucius began, as Alice continued to hurry her pace to the exit.

"Not so fast," the dark man said with a thick accent. His words caused an invisible barrier to form between Alice and the direction she was heading. She smacked her forehead into it hard and fell back on the ground, her bag and its contents spilled onto the floor.

"Still playing host I see," the man looked amused at Alice who was holding her head from the collision, "You surprise me Lucius, allowing such distaste in your home."

Lucius grew slightly concerned for Alice, though his cold eyes did not show it. He had not expected his visitor that morning or for Alice to return during their meeting, "I assure you, she's not a guest."

"Right, she's just using your public Floo connection," the man remarked coldly while walking over to Alice who was checking her head for any sign of blood. She thought she possibly had a concussion because she felt incredibly dizzy and disoriented. The tall man hoisted her up by the arm, but didn't release his grip. "How am I suppose to trust you if you continue to associate with muggles," he pulled Alice around to face Lucius.

"Jerk," Alice mouthed under her breath, feeling more nauseated now that she was on her feet.

The man laughed at her remark, "Yes, Dumbledore's granddaughter, I know who you are and your involvement with Draco. Disgraceful Lucius, really."

"My son is an adult, his decisions do not stand for mine," Lucius's concern for Alice had heightened, "I think we can continue our discussion, if you just…"

Feeling the man's uncomfortable grip tighten, Alice aggressively pulled her arm away from him, "What's disgraceful is causing me to hit my head," she said angrily, "Now I'd like to be on my way."

The man laughed at her boldness, "Amusing. No, I think I'll be on my way. I'll let you know the next step at a better time," his words offered Lucius little consolation before he quickly disapparated from the room.

Alice immediately went to a nearby armchair to sit down, still holding her head and feeling like she would vomit. "I think I have a concussion," she said, knowing this sensation shouldn't last this long.

Lucius was disconcerted by the current events, since they obviously made his partner lose confidence in him, a confidence he had built up from the ground level. He unlatched his wand from his cane and approached Alice, "Don't move," he said as he performed a healing spell on her, quickly relieving any discomfort she was feeling in her head and her stomach.

"Thanks, I didn't know you could fix that," Alice said relieved and also surprised that magic could quickly handle these ailments. She honestly thought she'd have to go to the hospital to make sure she didn't fracture her skull.

"Your involvement was not my intention," Lucius said in his usual unconcerned matter, making sure it wasn't an apology.

"What exactly was going on Mr. Malfoy?" Alice said suspicious of the entire event.

Lucius's eyes narrowed on her, "Not of your concern."

"Perhaps it is, he didn't exactly take kindly to me or Draco," Alice replied boldly. "Related to your dealings in Knockturn Alley, no doubt."

"As usual, you're overstepping your bounds," Lucius warned.

"I know," she agreed, "But my worry is not only my own. Draco has expressed his concern. He doesn't want his father to end up in Azkaban again."

Lucius regrettably knew he had sparked some worry in his son and if Alice shared this little event with him it would only lead to more concern and possibly his involvement. Hoping to suppress any future controversy, he said, "It's not what it looks like."

Alice thought for a moment, "Then what? Are you working for someone undercover?"

Lucius's eyes narrowed, "You're smarter than you look."

"I'm hoping the same is true of you," Alice replied snidely, though surprised if what she said was true.

"Let's just say the Ministry still has a tight leash on me, but if you divulge this information to Draco or Narcissa, I will not take so kindly to your presence here."

Alice noted the seriousness in his voice, "I won't say anything then. I do hope whatever you're doing, you're careful." She removed herself from the chair and began picking up the various items that spilled from her fallen bag, including her course paperwork and an official letter from Hogwarts.

Noticing Hogwarts seal on the letter and hoping to change the subject, Lucius asked, "So, how did your meeting go?"

"It went well," Alice was amazed he bothered to ask, even if he was feigning interest to change the subject, "I'll be teaching a new course to sixth year students."

"Yes, a mandatory Muggle Studies course, I heard from Draco. A curriculum change I would take issue with if Draco was still a student."

"I have no doubt you would have," Alice said while checking her mobile quickly to see if there were any missed calls, "I'm assuming it will bother some parents, as well as students, who really have no choice in the matter."

"You must realize by now that a wizard's education is a practical one, so students can function in this realm. Your theoretical understanding is burdensome."

"I'm actually hoping to focus on critical thinking, which I think is a practical skill."

"Perhaps, but with Muggle Studies…" his tone contained some vitriol.

"Believe me, Mr. Malfoy, the thought of there being a course objectifying muggles is unsettling. It would be like me studying Magical Peoples Studies in my junior year of high school. But considering our histories, students should be aware of their opinions on the subject and their basis for them. I'm just hoping to make the course thought-provoking." Alice tried not to sound argumentative.

"You may not be aware that a former Muggle Studies professor was killed in this very room," he said ominously, his cane pointing to the ceiling. "Hopefully you don't draw too much negative attention."

"I think I may have already done that with the trial," Alice said solemnly, she was unaware that Professor Burbage was killed in the Malfoy's drawing room. It made her slightly uncomfortable and she wondered why Lucius mentioned it. "It's unfortunate that I have to be worried about such things. The Death Eaters may be gone, but pockets of their ideology remain."

Lucius turned his nose up slightly, not expecting Alice to really understand the ideology she so often condemns.

"Luckily," Alice continued despite the condemning look she received, "I'm also optimistic. Just being here in the former headquarters of Voldemort, proves that things can change for the better." Alice placed all her things in her bag and decided it may be best to leave before he responded with anymore sarcasm. "Well, I'll be in the green room until Draco returns. Good luck with whatever your mission is, Mr. Malfoy." Part of her wondered if he was working for the Ministry or simply telling her that to keep her from saying anything to Draco. For the time being, she would keep her mouth shut.


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N_: Your reviews are so encouraging. Thank you so much for enjoying my story!

* * *

Narcissa was away from the Manor that Wednesday morning, busy at her weekly board meeting with a group of witches who organized fund-raising events for various charities. Thus Alice was left to her own in the green room, and she decided to simply read a book she brought along while listening to the fountain run nearby. While flipping through pages on social theory, her mind wandered from time to time to the previous incident in the drawing room; was Mr. Malfoy's involvement with that dark wizard really an undercover plot for the Ministry or was he lying to her? She would have no chance of finding out and she knew she shouldn't say anything either way. It was an uncomfortable position to be in, especially when she felt slightly in danger because of it.

Draco arrived home an hour later and entered the green room to find Alice lounging with her legs up in a wicker loveseat next to the fountain; as usual her heels were placed on the ground nearby. Seeing Alice look up at him and smile made Draco feel perfect inside.

"What is that?" she asked amused but also concerned; Draco had brought his Nimbus 2006 with him.

"We're going to have your first flying lesson today," he said proudly.

"Oh, I thought we forgot about that," Alice teased.

"Not likely," he set down the broom and sat next to Alice, lifting her legs to rest on his lap.

"How was your lunch?" she asked; Draco had met the head of the International Alchemical Society that afternoon.

"Humbling, not every day you meet such an esteemed alchemist and have him tell you that he's in awe of your research," he said still elated from the meeting.

Alice's smile grew wider.

"But what about you?" Draco asked eagerly, "You have any good news?" He was curious how her meeting with McGonagall went.

Alice nodded, "I got the job, or more like I accepted the job since they were ready to offer it."

Draco pulled out a letter from his back pocket and waved it in front of her, "Then it'll be both of us at Hogwarts next year." He just received the letter from McGonagall that afternoon asking him to fill Professor Slughorn's position as Potions Professor.

"That's great news!" she said surprised, moving to hug him tightly.

Looking at her cheerfully he said, "We should celebrate, but only after your flying lesson."

Alice laughed, she knew she couldn't get out of it. "Speaking of magical forms of transport, McGonagall already set up Apparition lessons for me at the Ministry."

Draco noticed Alice looked a bit uncertain, "That's good though, with practice, you'll be fine. You can do anything Alice," he said confidently, lifting up her chin with his hand, "So what did you think of Hogwarts?"

"Enormous, and odd," Alice was not sure how else to express it.

"Odd?"

"Well, odd in the magical sense. Upon arrival, I got to talk to my grandfather's portrait and presumably the previous headmasters who also hung on the wall, and there was a troll…"

"You saw a troll?" Draco said surprised.

"No, but McGonagall was late due to one, and then the moving staircases, an enchanted ceiling, and talk of the job being dangerous, I mean, it was all a bit overwhelming," Alice expressed her feeling of sensory overload in the quickness of her words.

"You'll get use to it, trust me," he took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers, something they did often as sign of affection. Everything had been going right for both of them and they hoped things would only get better.

* * *

Alice fidgeted with her hair more than normal this morning, spent an extraordinarily amount of time rummaging through her closet to find something to wear, and she couldn't decide whether she should bring her netbook, not knowing if there would be much down time during the lesson. She would be heading to the Ministry of Magic for her first Apparition Lesson. An owl post had arrived from the Ministry earlier that week explaining the six-week summer intensive course that Headmistress McGonagall enrolled her in. Typically Hogwarts students take a twelve-week course in their sixth year of study; that is if their seventeenth birthday falls during the school year. For Alice, however, she would be meeting for six hours every Friday for the next six weeks. Spending the next six Fridays at a place she did not have fond memories of was not her idea of a good time. She knew this was why it took her a longer time than normal to get ready; she was a little anxious to go back there. She remembered leaving the Grand Atrium with Draco after the trial and hoping she didn't have to see the inside of that place again. She knew more people would recognize her there than anywhere, and she'd also be on her own, surrounded by magical people, doing magical people things. She hoped she wouldn't appear as clueless as she felt.

After a small session of meditation, something she did less and less of these days since the trial, Alice gave herself a final look in the mirror. "Well, just try your best to blend in," these words gave her minimal encouragement as she tucked her wand into her bag. Draco had offered to take her to the Grand Atrium, but Alice insisted that she go alone, for the learning experience. She knew where the telephone booth visitor's entrance was and felt if she didn't start doing more of these outings alone, she may never become comfortable with maneuvering the magical world. Draco was extremely proud of her initiative, though he did make her promise to call him by mobile if she got lost or encountered any problems. Alice had bought Draco a pre-paid mobile phone last week and spent the better part of that evening explaining to him how everything on it worked; and she thought she asked a lot of questions. Of course, simply having a quick line to Alice made Draco feel much better. It was not that he thought she was in any imminent danger; he just had less trust in people, knowing full well what dark wizards and witches were capable of and the notoriety Alice had already gained for herself in their circles. The simple ability to call Draco was also a comfort and joy to Alice who never realized how much she took this muggle technology for granted until the only other option was sending a post by owl.

She took the tube into city center and found the downtrodden street that had the unimposing red telephone booth on it. After she stepped in, she removed the parchment that had detailed instructions on how to use it. Picking up the dirty telephone receiver and placing it not too close to her ear, she dialed 62442, which spelled the word "MAGIC." A witch's voice began speaking, but not through the phone, from somewhere in the booth. Looking around curiously, Alice replied with the necessary information, "Alice McNally for Apparition Lessons." A silver badge popped out with her name and purpose on it and shortly after the booth began to descend like a lift, taking her down to the Grand Atrium.

It was warm outside, a typical summer day in London, and it felt nice to be dressed in lighter attire - a very conservative blue chambray shirt dress and the most comfortable wedge platform sandals she owned - though, as Alice stepped into the atrium, she debated whether she should have dressed differently, seeing how her muggle attire always stood out to a certain extent amongst the sea of long robes and tailored suits. As she exited the booth, she was swept along with a flow of people; Ministry workers making their way to their various offices. Her course was set to start at 8 am, which she thought was probably also the start of the work day. She moved to a spot in between two fireplaces to check her parchment for the classroom's floor and room number. The paper was continuously illuminated by green light coming from the fireplaces as workers flooed in.

She read, "Department of Magical Transportation, level six, room 608." "Okay," she thought, "I need to use the lift." She looked back over the crowd and it seemed most people were headed through a set of golden gates and she remembered the lifts were behind them. These gates acted as security for the workers but since she was a visitor, she would first need to go to a security checkpoint to be searched and have her wand registered.

Alice showed her silver badge to an unpleasant looking watchwizard who was dressed in peacock blue robes and sitting on raised stool. He rose from his spot and mechanically waved a thin, flexible golden stick over Alice's front and backside, a Probity Probe, making her feel like she was getting searched at the airport with a dowsing rod. It stopped on her bag.

"Wand," the man requested staidly.

Alice quickly reached into her oversized bag, searching for the thin stick. At first sweep, she couldn't find it so she brought her bag in front of her to get a better angle, giving the watchwizard a goofy smile as an apology. "How embarrassing," Alice thought; she felt like her wand was intentionally hiding from her. She pushed aside her wallet and book, removed her netbook, which took up the most room, and after a few more seconds of frantically searching she pulled it out. This wasted time was much to the displeasure of the watchwizard as he grabbed it from her abruptly; a small line of visitors had started to form behind her. He then dropped her wand into a brass machine which vibrated to produce a piece of parchment from a slit in its base. This parchment contained information on her wand, its wood, core, and how long it's been in use. "I guess I'm now dog tagged in a way," Alice thought to this practice. After placing her wand back in her bag, since even the Ministry's security couldn't restrict a wizard's right to carry their wand, she headed through the golden gates.

After waiting momentarily for an open lift, she noted the violet paper airplanes flying above her and the small goblin dressed in a highly tailored suit next to her. She reminded herself not to stare at anything or anyone, especially when both the airplanes and goblin accompanied her on the lift. A lady's voice called the seventh floor's name and Alice waited as passengers got on and off. She encountered a look of recognition from a young witch but luckily she said nothing. Finally, the sixth floor was called and Alice sidestepped the goblin and made her way down a large hallway, following the numbers on the doors, "607…608." Stepping into the waiting room, Alice was reminded of going to driver's education school when she was 15. In most of the chairs sat teenagers, presumably those whose birthday didn't fall during the school year and were there to either take lessons or the certification test. Before Alice even approached the apparition window, a raspy voice of an old witch called out to her, "Name?"

"McNally," Alice said discretely after going forward, she flashed her badge.

"Group C, wait to be called," the woman croaked, a quill next to her had already checked off Alice's name on a piece of parchment.

Alice quickly went to sit in an open chair; it was wooden without any cushions. She was unsure how long she would have to wait so she pulled out the book from her bag and began reading, though her mind couldn't really focus on the words. More of what she presumed were students filtered into the room and found open seats. They were all younger than her and Alice had the odd thought that she'd encounter some of them in the hallways of Hogwarts next year. She continued trying to go through sentences of printed text.

A boy with dark brown and slightly unkempt hair occupied the seat next to her and seemed interested in the book she was reading since she noticed he peered down at it twice. After the second time, Alice looked at him, he appeared to be around seventeen, though his outfit was overly tailored for his age.

Alice's brief glance suddenly gave him leeway to talk, "Haven't seen you around Hogwarts, what school do you go to?"

"None," she said, trying to be honest and then thinking perhaps she needed a haircut or something else to age her before she started teaching again.

"Oh," he realized maybe she was a little older but that didn't deter him from flirting, "So where did you go to school? By your looks, probably Beaubaxtons, hey?"

She had no idea what he meant, "Nowhere you'd know I'm sure," she said politely, hoping he'd not push for information.

"Ah American I presume by your accent, visited there with my dad once," he said proudly, sounding like it was an accomplishment, "Spent a week in Massachusetts, he was contemplating buying the Fitchburg Finches, but it wasn't a good deal in the end. Already own the Tutshill Tornadoes. The name's Pryce, Broderick Pryce. Yours?"

"Alice," she said feigning a smile and not feeling like divulging her last name. She assumed he was talking about quidditch teams by their names, meaning he must be from an overly wealthy family.

"So, Alice the American," he continued, overly amused, "You missed out on Apparition classes at school too?"

Alice replied, "You can say that." Obviously this kid didn't know who she was which actually gave her mild hope that people were either forgetting what she looked like or never heard of her.

Broderick continued cheerfully, "Unfortunate for me, my birthday falls in the summer months. Not sure how they do it in the states, but it means I get to spend my summer here playing catch-up. Shouldn't be too hard though, considering I play chaser for..."

"Group C! Group C!" An old man opened a side door and called, giving Alice a reprieve from listening to anymore of his boasting.

"Well, that's me," she said optimistically, quickly packing her book in her bag and standing up, hoping to leave the talkative kid behind her.

"Me too," he said, "Looks like we get to do this together."

Forget that idea, Alice thought as she entered the room along with about fifteen other classmates. Not surprisingly, they were all teenagers.

"Broderick!" A young man noticed his friend as they were entering the hall, "Thought I'd find you here. Who's that?" He said quietly; he saw his friend talking to Alice prior.

"An American," he whispered, "Not bad hey?"

"She looks familiar," his friend said curiously, but not sure why.

The instructor called, "Now everyone find a seat. There's one for everyone." They had entered a large empty room that had just enough uncomfortable wooden chairs for them to sit on. "We'll go quickly through some information and then get into training. My name is Wilkie Twycross, I'll be your apparition instructor for this summer course." Alice wondered how many courses this man taught, he was extremely old, with barely any hair left on his head. "You should all be aware of the rules of apparition, it's illegal without a license and also dangerous because you risk splinching. In order to ensure safety, I heed you all listen to my instructions. But there is a medical emergencies unit located in the Ministry in case of any calamity."

Alice's nose scrunched at the possibility of a medical emergency and she raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss McNally, I presume," the instructor knew from McGonagall that she'd be in his class.

"I apologize for asking Mr. Twycross, but what is _splinching_?" She felt completely daft but more so she wanted to know what she was getting herself into before attempting it. The entire class turned their heads to look at her and most, minus Broderick Pryce, recognized that she was indeed that woman whose face was constantly in the pages of the _Daily Prophet_ awhile back. Additionally, they knew about her relationship with Draco Malfoy, who many had as a substitute Potions professor at Hogwarts.

"Ah, valid question and expected, splinching is the separation of random body parts that can occur during apparating. It occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. This is why lessons are most prudent and why a test is necessary to get your license. We will concentrate on the three D's: Destination, Determination and Deliberation. One must be completely determined to reach one's destination, and move without haste, but with deliberation. Now I want everyone to repeat after me, Destination, Determination, Deliberation."

The class repeated these three words several times per the instructor's request.

"Now everyone please go and find yourself a hoop on the side wall and space yourselves throughout the room." Everyone rose from their chairs and did as the instructor requested, finding the metal hoops along the wall and spacing themselves out.

The thought of disconnecting any parts of her body made Alice's stomach uneasy. "Was he serious?" she thought as she picked one of the metal hoops from the pile. She believed there were really too many sadistic practices in the magical realm.

Broderick's friend nudged him and whispered, "Can't believe you chatted up Professor Malfoy's girlfriend."

"Huh?" he said confused picking up his hoop.

"You heard me!" he said hushed, "She's Dumbledore's granddaughter, from the trial."

As if a light bulb switched on in his brain, Broderick's face turned a bright shade of red and he made sure to distance himself from Alice when they spaced out.

Alice kicked her hoop in front of her and then listened to Mr. Twycross's instructions, ever more skeptical about this destination, determination, deliberation business.

"Everyone have their hoop in front of them? Okay, the inside of the hoop is your destination. Concentrate continually on your destination. You must be determined to move your whole body from outside the hoop to inside the hoop. Always do so with deliberation. Destination, determination, deliberation…"

Alice now understood how difficult this would be. While most of the youth in her class had started learning to cast non-verbal spells, she had only recently mastered some childish charms from grade three. Utilizing her mind to do anything magically, sans the use of a wand, was way beyond her current level. All she could do was think of herself standing in the hoop, though she felt this act was akin to daydreaming. "Was that enough?" she thought. Obviously not since nothing happened. Not much was happening for the rest of the class either which surprised her. Mr. Twycross continued to go over the three D's, rewording what he already said to try to make it sound like he was teaching something new. Alice quickly realized learning to apparate was squarely placed on the shoulders of the individual trying to do it. As with most magic, it was to mould the mind to do the trick. At least she was not a complete disaster at riding a broom, even though she warned Draco that she was an awful car driver when she first learned. She realized now that it was much easier to direct an object than oneself.

After several hours standing around and thinking of being in their hoops, they were given an hour lunch break. A majority of the students decided they'd have time to run to Diagon Alley for some fast food and were off as quickly as Mr. Twycross said the class was dismissed. Alice packed a simple peanut butter and jam sandwich to hold her over. It was a comfort food and a staple from childhood, probably due to the fact that it was the most competent lunch her father could make after her mother passed away.

Alice gathered her bag and wanted to find a quiet space to keep working on a PowerPoint presentation for a lecture she would be giving at a Science and Technology conference that Sunday in Edinburgh. Admittedly, while staring at the hoop for past few hours, she found herself thinking over her presentation. She felt guilty about letting her mind wander from apparating, but it happened.

Leaving the Apparition Testing Center, she decided to check out the lobby and reception area of the Grand Atrium for a place to sit and type, seeing how every other level had offices and was probably completely off-limits to her. Heading off the lift, she was caught again in a flurry of witches and wizards heading out for their lunch break. She rounded a gigantic fountain that had statues of gold in its middle, having not paid much attention to it earlier. The lobby and reception area was on the opposite end of atrium. It was reminiscent of a hotel lobby with several leather chairs and small side tables, the aesthetic matching the features of the atrium with polished dark wood floors and peacock blue lighting. There were several places open to sit, but she decided on a seat off to the one side, hoping not to direct attention to herself. Taking a quick bite of her sandwich, she booted up her netbook and began going through her PowerPoint slides; changing a few things she thought about during the lesson. "No apparating, but at least I'll be more prepared for Sunday," she mused as she completed it. She finished off the rest of her sandwich and looked up from her position. It was the middle of the lunch hour and the lobby had become rather quiet, for most people had met their intended parties and left the premises. Feeling curious, she got up to take a closer look at the massive fountain. She always had an interest in public art, and seeing a new fountain brought back fond memories of her fountain finding frenzy in Rome two years ago. She went with two grad school friends; all of them had visited Rome before so fountain finding was a new take on it. They found thirty by the end of the weekend, taking pictures and documenting each one.

The figures towered over her and she was impressed how finely gold leafed they were, although part of her wondered whether they were actually solid gold. There was a witch, a wizard, a goblin, a centaur and a house-elf, all on equal footing. Water shot out from various orifices creating a great splashing sound that Alice could hear now that the atrium was empty. A small engraved sign on the base read, "All proceeds from the Fountain of Magical Brethren will be given to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries." Alice assumed this meant magical folk also threw coins into fountains; "Did they also make wishes?" she wondered. Amused but without any galleons, Alice removed a pound from her wallet and threw it in. "A little muggle charity," she thought amused. She also found her mobile phone, wanting to take a picture to add to her collection. She first realized there was no coverage at all here which was disconcerting, perhaps it wasn't allowed? Turning on the camera option, she moved back and held it up to get the right angle, the image of the fountain coming up in her view finder.

Before clicking the button, a hand quickly pushed her phone down, it was Blaise Zabini. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, his voice instantly reminding her of being interrogated by him weeks ago. "I could have you cited for violating your contract," he added.

"For taking a picture for my personal collection?" she asked wide-eyed, thinking he couldn't be serious.

"Your device could fall into the wrong hands," Blaise remarked.

"I doubt it," Alice wondered if he was just giving her an unnecessarily hard time because he could.

"What is your business here?" He asked suspiciously.

"If you must know, I'm taking Apparition Lessons," she regrettably placed her phone back in her bag.

"A little fast on your magical agenda, isn't it?" he said rudely.

"It was by request of Headmistress McGonagall, I'll be teaching at Hogwarts next year," she replied with equal smugness.

"Humph, Muggle Studies no doubt," he repressed a laugh while crossing his arms over his chest.

"No Divination," Alice replied sarcastically, resisting the urge to roll her eyes and wondering where his discontent came from.

"Don't let the Slytherin students give you a hard time. Subtract house points when needed, usually gets them to fall in line," he said almost encouragingly. "Well, I'll no doubt see you at the Malfoy's event. Send Draco my regards."

"Sure, will do," she replied, surprised that the conversation ended pleasantly. After he walked away, she looked back up at the fountain, thinking once more of the wish she made before tossing in her coin.

More Ministry of Magic employees were returning from lunch prompting Alice to check her watch. "Time to return to staring at the floor," she thought as she reluctantly turned to reenter the golden gates, flashing her silver badge at the disgruntled watchwizard who gave her a scathing look on her way in.

The remaining hour of class was much the same as the first few. The three D's reverberated from Mr. Twycross's mouth and Alice tried her best to concentrate. One blond witch in the class had success at the end of the day, much to Mr. Twycross's delight. She apparated once but couldn't repeat her actions. Alice, along with the rest of the class, wondered what they were doing wrong.

Two in the afternoon could not have come around any sooner for Alice when class was dismissed. Mr. Twycross reminded all of them to remember the three D's and never attempt to apparate without an experienced witch or wizard nearby, in case of accidental splinching. Again, it took only seconds for most students to leave the classroom with Alice following slowly behind; but, she was stopped by Mr. Twycross.

"One moment Miss McNally," he said before she reached the door, "I'd like a word."

"Sure," Alice said, wondering what it was about.

"I understand you're very new to magic, which could make apparition a more trying a task. I just wanted to let you know that if there are no results in several weeks time, you will be given extra lessons as requested by Headmistress McGonagall."

"That's very kind sir, I will try best in the allotted lesson time, however."

"That's the spirit," he said cheerfully.

Alice politely made her adieus and secretly hoped she'd get this before having to succumb to extra lessons. She then exited the same way she entered the Ministry, through the telephone lift in the Grand Atrium. Once she made it back to the muggle world, noting the relief she felt by being in the familiar territory of a dingy London backstreet, she decided to ring Draco who asked her to call when she was finished.

"Hey," she said, after hearing his voice.

"Well, how did it go?" he asked, happy to hear she made it safely through the day.

"Felt like watching paint dry, this apparating business is going to be hard I think," she said.

"It takes time for everyone, I'll have to give you some points on it later."

"Hopefully more than just three D's," she laughed.

"Oh, you must have Wilkie Twycross as your instructor," he noted, having had the same man teach him.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"No one can forget him and the three D's," Draco laughed.

"I guess not, so how's your presentation coming along?" Alice asked while waiting to cross the street.

"Almost done," the conference where he'd be receiving his gold medal was the following week and he would be presenting his research as well as giving speech at the award ceremony. "What about your presentation?"

"I'm pretty ready to call it done too. Just need to practice a little before we go." Alice had planned to take the train up to Edinburgh but Draco said that was nonsense and he'd apparate her close by to save time and the cost of a ticket.

Draco added, "I hope you're still up to going dancing tonight."

Alice's face lit up and she felt like she radiated heat from her cheeks, "I can't wait. I'm heading to the West End now to dress hunt for the party but I'll be home after that. You can call me when you're ready to come over." With the International Alchemical Conference fast approaching, so was the Malfoy's celebratory gala and Alice still had not found the right dress for it.

"Will do, have fun shopping," he said, knowing full well she would.

"I think I need it after staring at the center of a hoop for five hours," she laughed, "Talk to you later."

That afternoon a little shopping acted as therapy for Alice who walked store to store searching for _the_ dress. Though she was no newcomer to dressing up and had enough little black dresses to go to cocktail parties all week, she had not been to an event considered this formal. It would need to be a full-length gown which she had never worn before. Trying these garments on in the fitting room was a unique experience, as were the price tags. Thank goodness for plastic, Alice thought while checking the tags. A few hours and several stores later she found it, a dark blue shaded silk gown with unique asymmetrical straps and an empire waist that had beaded detail at the bodice. She hesitated about the color, although dark blue centered the dress, it did flow into a lighter blue at the bottom and top. She wondered if she should go with something more basic like black, though no other dress she came across felt the way this one did. After one more look in the mirror, she knew, this was it.


	36. Chapter 36

_A/N_: Lots of love to my reviewers! Hope you continue to enjoy.

* * *

Dressed in a fancy black cocktail dress that had a ruffled top and bow cinched waist and with her hair pulled back in a sleek high ponytail, Alice sat reading a new book in an armchair in the Malfoy's drawing room waiting for Narcissa to finish getting ready. She would be traveling by Floo Network with her and Mr. Malfoy to Cairo for the presentation of Draco's Gold Medal for Ground-Breaking Contribution at that year's International Alchemical Conference. Draco had been attending the conference since it started on Monday morning, sitting through various panels and networking with other potioneers from around the world. Friday night would be the awards ceremony and on Saturday, Narcissa would be holding a gala in his honor at Malfoy Manor.

It had been a quiet week for Alice with Draco gone, though the Science and Technology conference that she went to in Edinburgh was a success in terms of networking with other academics. She met a professor who knew her mother when she first taught at the University College London, and she encouraged her to apply for one of her department's lecturer positions that had recently opened up for the fall. Since she would be working only part-time at Hogwarts, it would allow time to teach another class or two closer to her city flat. That week she sent the school her curriculum vitae and cover letter, optimistic that she could have the best of both worlds, work-wise.

Draco was unreachable by mobile, but that didn't stop him from sending owl posts to Alice back in London. Luckily she was home when she heard the taps on her window. The letters were written in his meticulous cursive which she heavily admired and envied because her own handwriting had become more like chicken scratch since she used a computer to type everything. She supposed using a quill gave anyone's writing a more calligraphic feel, but hers was a mess. Using a blue ball point pen and a sheet of crisp notebook paper, she took her time when writing him back to make it neat and hopefully more legible, making the owl sit and wait in her kitchen while doing so. She realized the poor bird must have been exhausted from the flight, so she gave it some chopped up raw meat to tide it over. Draco sent her a letter each evening and he did something surprising with each one. When she opened the first folded note, she found a small seed, which she placed in the palm of her hand to inspect. She wondered how it got in there until it started to transform into a long stem red rose. It was a type of magic she'd never seen before; it was fantastical, beautiful, and she had no idea how he did it. With each letter, another seed and by the end of the week she had filled a small vase with four amazing flowers, two of which she had never seen because they were most likely wizarding world varieties. All she knew was she couldn't wait until Friday evening when she would see him again.

It was a busy Friday for Alice, who had to wake up early for another apparating lesson at the Ministry of Magic. It was more of the same from Mr. Twycross, reverberating the three D's while they tried to apparate into the center of their metal hoops. One student had a splinching incident, much to Alice's horror. He apparated but left his right hand outside the hoop and from the looks of it, he was in incredible pain, literally in tears as they rushed him to the medical ward. Mr. Twycross acted as if it was a common mistake to make when you lack complete deliberation. For Alice, however, part of her wanted to quit right then, hoping to forego any possible dismemberment. The only thing that kept her from running out the door was reminding herself how important it was to accomplish this task for her teaching job. Unfortunately, she had not apparated by the end of the day's lesson.

Since the award ceremony was that evening, she used one of the Ministry's fireplaces to floo to Malfoy Manor instead of returning back to her flat. She packed an extra bag to take with her that morning with her dress, makeup and heels in it. Of course, this extra bag made the watchwizard suspicious and he made sure to probity probe it over twice before letting her through the golden gates. Once at the Malfoy's, she removed her dress to find that she underestimated how wrinkled it would become and asked Narcissa if there was something she could use to iron it out. Even though the Malfoy's always utilized a house elf to do their house work, Narcissa thought Alice should learn some practical domestic magic and she spent the entire afternoon teaching her spells that could be used to steam her dress, wash dishes, make a broom sweep and have a quill dictate notes. For both of them it was a bonding experience, Narcissa with the daughter she never had and Alice with a mother figure she missed growing up.

Later that afternoon, Alice hurried to get ready for the award ceremony, not wanting to be the one that made the Malfoy's wait. Luckily, Narcissa was notorious for taking time to prepare herself. Thus, she used the extra time to read one of the new books she bought during her lunch break that day in Diagon Alley; she felt adventurous enough to leave the Ministry's grounds. What prompted her to enter the bookstore was seeing her book featured in the store window. Barnabus Cuffe, editor of the _Daily Prophet_, had kept his promise and released the second press of her book, _Hinting at Magic: 20__th__ Century Conspiracies and Possible Explanations_, under his publishing company. She had written a short introduction to accompany it and the book jacket was changed to include a moving photo of her and a slightly new biographical note. When she entered the cluttered shop, she was accosted by the eccentric owner who seemed overjoyed to have her there, so much so that he attempted to set up a book signing event with her. Alice thought such things were presumptuous and declined repeatedly. Despite this uncomfortable occurrence, she was able to search the dusty stacks and ended up buying two books from him. One called _Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles, _which she was told was a Muggle Studies textbook at Hogwarts. She wondered if she'd be surprised or appalled by its contents. It was written in 1987 so with two more decades past she knew it was going to be rather outdated. The second book was entitled, _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_; the subject had become increasingly of interest to her since the potential dangerous situation in the drawing room with Mr. Malfoy and his so-called business partner. Draco had told her quite a lot about the history of Voldemort, but she was more of a textual learner and she knew a book could help her keep her facts straight.

Lucius Malfoy swung open the drawing room side door and quickly paraded into the room, dressed in his best robes and holding his walking stick like a royal scepter. "Well at least you're ready," he said annoyed, seeing Alice sitting there reading a book but his wife nowhere to be found.

"She'll be down soon, I suspect," Alice said casually, not moving her eyes from the page she was on, which explained in more detail the Dark Mark and Death Eater initiation.

Curious and feeling like aggravating Alice who looked too at ease sitting there, Lucius used his walking stick to push the book from its propped position in front of her face, "What are we reading now?" he asked chauvinistically. The page had a picture of the Dark Mark on it.

"History," Alice replied, not amused that he invaded her space.

"Of the Dark Arts I see, a new interest perhaps?" Lucius replied, suspicious if her interest was sparked by her knowledge of his dark dealings.

Alice resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Sure, add it to about fifty others."

Lucius knew she made a valid point.

Alice added, "I haven't said anything if you're wondering."

"Oh, I know," he said confidently, making Alice curious how he was so sure. She hoped his supposed awareness of this wasn't by magical means.

Before she could ask, however, Narcissa entered the room, dressed in an equally impressive dress whose color and material complimented Lucius's robes. She also wore a small, but elaborate head piece that balanced the rest of the outfit. "We should be off," she said as she rushed to the fireplace while putting her gloves on, acting like she wasn't the one being waited for.

"Lucius, you first, to make sure Alice hears the correct intonation," she motioned to him with her hand to hurry over.

Once Lucius left, Alice quickly told Narcissa, "You look très chic!" In a way, their elite wizard attire reminded her of royalty.

"So do you dear, is that a new hang bag?" she asked of Alice's small black clutch.

"Yes, finally found one that fits my wand," Alice smiled.

"Perfect," Narcissa mused, "Now off you go."

There was a Floo Connection for conference attendees that directed them into the lobby of the grand presentation hall. As Alice exited the fireplace, her gaze immediate went upward to an enchanted nightscape ceiling, supported by massive Egyptian-style columns. The lobby was filled with other attendees, all dressed in flowing wizard's robes that reflected their home country, reminiscent of variations in muggle fashion across cultures. Many seemed to be moving into the auditorium to be seated for the award ceremony.

Narcissa arrived a moment later, exiting the fireplace with her head held high and fixing her posture. "I suppose we should find our seats," she said, taking Lucius's arm. Alice immediately noted the Malfoy's ability to change into their public personas and she attempted to follow suit as she walked by Narcissa's side. There were seats near the front reserved for them, along with other family members of award recipients. A conference of esteemed alchemists was a new venue for the Malfoy family, though certainly no different than other elite events they use to frequent. Many attendees noticed their entrance, but it was the addition of Alice that stirred the conversation, particularly since many in the room knew her grandfather by more than just reputation. That night, Draco would be receiving the same award her grandfather received when he was young, a fact unknown to Alice at that time.

Right before the ceremony started, several witches and wizards went to sit in chairs that were lined up on stage. One of them was Draco; he was dressed in black wizard robes reminiscent of his father's attire and Alice thought he looked quite amazing. It was a look on him she wasn't use to, since he normally wore his suit or other more simple business wear. He definitely looked like a wizard tonight. He caught eyes with Alice from the stage and they gave each other a warm smile, communicating non-verbally the reassurance and love they felt for each other. The ceremony started with a keynote speaker who discussed the academy's history and its role in the wizarding world. He was followed by a middle-aged witch who was wearing a large pointed witch's hat; a fashion Alice noted was worn by several more in the room. She was again embarrassingly reminded of her cheap Halloween costume at nine years old, the remnant photographs of which she'd hope would never be revealed to the Malfoys. The witch began by giving an overview of that year's research and afterwards she called to the podium speakers who received special recognition awards. Alice was amused by the variety of potions research that was conducted, even though for her it was akin to being at an organic chemistry conference where the topics were well beyond her comprehension. She had no idea what Vertiaserum or Amortentia was. After several more speakers, the academy's president approached the podium to present their top award, the Gold Medal for Groundbreaking-Contribution.

The old, white-haired wizard spoke steadily, "Every so often potions research does more than simply find an alternative sleeping tonic or aesthetic enhancing concoction, it is used to cure magical ailments and change the lives of those affected by dark magic. Our main award goes to a young gentleman whose recombination of dark potions has created the "Alice Elixir" that has saved over fifty oft-forgotten patients worldwide who came in contact with objects cursed by the Malaisien Spell…"

Alice must have turned bright red, had Draco really named his discovered potion after her?

"His methods, although controversial for their utilization of dark formulas, presents a new avenue for alchemical research where we must redraw the barrier of light and dark, and perhaps usher in a new era where such a line is not so clear cut. This year's recipient has been taught by some of the greatest potions masters our realm has seen, Horace Slughorn and the late Severus Snape, and he will be following in their footsteps as the new potions professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this fall. I am honored and proud to present this year's Gold Medal for Groundbreaking-Contribution to Draco Malfoy."

Draco approached the podium to the applause of the audience, being presented the medal in a small black velvet box and having it magically float and attach itself to the front of his robe. He shook hands with the president, displaying his gratitude for his kind words, and then he composed himself for his speech.

"Thank you to the academy for this great honor. I had not known that so many had been treated, that perhaps is the greater honor. When I was told that I would be receiving this award I remembered what attracted me to potions, it was the idea that you can bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses, even put a stopper in death; words I vividly remember spoken by Severus Snape during my first lesson in his class. It was not until much later that I discovered a higher purpose in concocting brews, to undo the damage that had been done by them and other forms of dark magic. For nearly two decades, objects cursed by the Malaisen Spell have fallen into the hands of countless individuals, causing them to see visions and hear voices that aren't there. These victims end up being hospitalized for their own safety as well as others. As we all know, many alchemists have attempted to find a potion that would counteract these mal effects but with no success. Over a year ago I began my research and it led me to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, where I utilized past investigations into failed potions and added that to my own knowledge of dark potions. It is controversial or perhaps it seemed implausible to use the Dark Arts for a force of good, but I hope the Alice Elixir has proven that this new avenue has great potential to find solutions to curses that continue to elude this academy. This accomplishment is not completely my own and I would like to thank Professor Horace Slughorn for his guidance, for giving me a chance when I had used up so many of them. And to my parents for their continued support, without them I honestly would not be here today. Lastly, to this potion's namesake, aptly named because like her, it has the potential to free the minds of those affected by the Dark Arts. Thank you Alice for showing me compassion and teaching me the true meaning of open-mindedness. This is for you."

Narcissa looked warmly at Alice while Draco was saying his praise of her, she felt tremendously proud her son and grateful that Alice brought so much to his life. Alice was touched that he publicly announced these emotions and her eyes welled up slightly; she was also still in shock that he named his potion after her. The ceremony closed with applause and everyone rose from their seats ready to enter the banquet hall where they were serving champagne and appetizers. The Malfoys and Alice were intent on going to greet Draco in the front of the auditorium, though they would need to go against the crowd to do so. Draco was receiving handshakes from various alchemists, including the president of the academy when they approached.

"Excuse me a second," Draco said politely to the president and the two other wizards he was talking to after he noticed Alice and his parents approaching. Alice quickly embraced him, whispering in his ear, "I'm speechless Draco, and so very proud of you." Draco responded by holding her tighter, making Alice feel like everyone in the room had disappeared and it was only them. Having been apart all week, their hug lasted longer than perhaps appropriate, but those nearby only looked on with admiration of their affection.

Once they stepped apart, Narcissa kissed Draco on the cheek, "You've made us so proud Draco."

"Thank you mother. Father," Draco said, as Lucius offered his son his hand.

"An honor to the house of Malfoy," Lucius said, giving him a firm handshake. He was just a proud as his wife and perhaps even more so.

The president of the academy approached the family to introduce himself, "Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, it's a pleasure. Your son has done a great service not only to alchemy, but to the wizarding world as well," he said while shaking their hands, "And I see the potion's namesake is in attendance. It's nice to meet the granddaughter of such an esteemed wizard."

"Thank you sir," Alice said politely, "I was unaware of the potion's name until tonight."

"A surprise I'm sure," he said jovially, "Aptly named nonetheless."

As they made their way into the grand banquet hall, Draco was accosted by several more well-wishers, including Professor Slughorn whose first glass of champagne had already been emptied. Alice noted that bottles of champagne were floating unsupported through the crowd, filling empty glasses when requested. It was a bizarre sight to see and she tried not to stare for too long, especially when one was pouring her a glass. Narcissa and Lucius left Alice and Draco momentarily to greet some old acquaintances they spotted, giving them some time alone to talk.

Alice said to him quietly, "You were so impressive up there, but you surprised me."

Knowing it had to do with the potion's name, "Well, the potioneer is given the privilege of naming his discovery. It was working on this potion that brought you into my life and it's you that has made my work helping others even more relevant to me."

Alice felt incredibly humbled by this, "I didn't know, but I'm so glad if I have. And it looks like I owe this potion just as much for making sure you were at the Ministry researching during my case." She smiled as she thought back, "I can't imagine not having met you, especially since getting through one week without you was difficult."

"I missed you too," Draco said, brushing the side of her cheek with his hand.

Several more glasses of champagne were poured throughout the room and Alice was introduced to several more members of the wizarding community who came to pay their respects to Draco and his accomplishment. One wizard in particular, however, made an unexpected appearance.

"Young Mr. Malfoy," the familiar accent immediately made Alice feel unsettled, he was indeed the same dark wizard she previously encountered in the Malfoy's drawing room a week ago. "Congratulations, not only on your award, but also on your new position at Hogwarts."

"Thank you sir. I don't believe you've met Alice McNally," Draco said politely.

"I haven't," he replied before Alice could say anything otherwise, offering her his hand. Alice gave him a scathing look, but went along with it.

Draco added, "This is Ivar Skramstad, Potions Professor at the Durmstrang Institute."

Alice nodded a non-verbal greeting as she unwillingly offered her hand; her mind was connecting some dots from past information she was given, "Durmstrang Institute, where they teach the Dark Arts to students, they didn't accept muggle-borns there, and he's a professor?" All of this was interesting and unexpected.

Ivar turned his attention to Draco, "If you didn't know, the Triwizard Tournament is being reinstated this year and to commence at Hogwarts."

"I was aware, though I didn't think they would lift the moratorium after such fierce disagreement over the added restrictions." The death of Cedric Diggory caused many to cast the tournament as an unnecessary hazard. It took the headmasters of the three schools several years to agree on new regulations which sought to better ensure student safety. They decided to start it up again at Hogwarts to usher in a new era for the tournament, while closing out the old.

"Yes, wouldn't want another Hogwarts student to be killed," he joked, "I will be accompanying our headmaster and look forward to having that time discuss your research in detail…It was a pleasure to meet you Miss McNally." With that he left their presence, his dark robes swaying behind him.

"The tournament is going to be held this year?" Alice asked confused, she remembered reading about the Triwizard Tournament in _Hogwarts: A History_, but was unaware of its current status.

"Yes, and they decided on holding it at Hogwarts again, surprisingly. I was actually going to discuss this with you when I got back, since it's another unusual experience awaiting you this year," Draco replied.

"Anything to make me more confused about what's going on," Alice said dismissively, then she added, "As long as I don't have to teach Durmstrang students."

"They may sit in on a class or two for the experience, but perhaps McGonagall will spare you," he said not too reassuringly.

"No one said this year was going to be easy," Alice tried to sound optimistic, though in her mind she was still questioning what Ivar Skramstad could possibly be up to and what Mr. Malfoy's involvement with him was exactly.

As the evening wore down, many wizards left to return home via the Floo Network Connection and the Malfoys were ready to do the same. Draco had already sent his bags home and they were waiting for him in his bedroom. Alice had used Draco's room earlier to get changed in, so most of her things were up there as well. They left Narcissa and Lucius in the drawing room and headed upstairs.

Once the bedroom door was closed, Alice finally said what she had been thinking all night, "You look so incredibly handsome in those robes."

Draco blushed, "I was going to tell you how amazing you look in that dress."

Their kiss was even more magnetic, as they exercised their deep feelings of longing from a week apart. Draco lifted Alice in his embrace and took her over to his bed. It would be awhile before Draco even considered apparating Alice back to her place.


	37. Chapter 37

_A/N_: Thank you to the reviewer who gave me the inspiration for this chapter!

* * *

Alice awoke in the lush cotton sheets and down pillows of Draco's bed, feeling the warmth of her lover beside her. The curtains were open allowing light to stream into the bedroom and onto the bed where she lay. She wondered if Draco had them charmed to open at a certain time. She curled up next to him, quietly watching him sleep. The gala was that day and she planned on getting her hair styled for the occasion, along with a cut since she was way past due for one. She hadn't anticipated staying that night but one thing led to another and neither of them wanted to leave.

Draco stirred, sensing the same light that woke Alice up. "When did you wake?" he asked quietly, hoping she slept well.

"Only moments ago," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

"This is new," he said, pulling her closer to him. They had never spent the night there before.

"I know, I vote that your bed is a lot more comfortable," Alice said truthfully; she was reminded of staying in the Malfoy's guestroom during the trial week where she surprisingly was able to get several good nights of rest. The bed was overstuffed with premium sheets and pillows, befitting the mansion that it was housed in.

Draco smiled and kissed her forehead, "Only if you're in it Al."

They had no immediate intentions to move from their position and both fell back asleep in each other's arms; until there was a knock on the door.

"Draco," Narcissa called from the outside hallway.

"It's mother," he said surprised.

"Now I know you want to sleep in," Narcissa continued, "But you really should take Alice home and go and pick up your dress robes for tonight. It's already past 11."

"Thanks for that!" he called back, extremely embarrassed that his mother would decide on all days to treat him like he was ten years younger. Alice was equally so, only because she was unsure if it was polite of her to sleepover. But it was certainly true what Draco and Lucius always said about Narcissa, nothing gets past her.

Looking at each other, they began snickering, amused by their equal embarrassment and then they realized they accidentally overslept and both had things scheduled prior to that evening's gala.

Putting his forehead to Alice's he mused, "If only I could stay here all day."

Alice noted he was half-serious about wanting to avoid the gala altogether, "There will always be another day. Hopefully tonight won't be as bad as you think."

"I do feel awful about putting you through this," he started concerned.

She put her finger to his lips to quiet and reassure him, "I told you not to worry. I can handle it." She knew the Malfoys would invite mostly pure-blooded wizarding families to their event and there was a heightened possibility her presence would be controversial for some, especially those who maintained the ideology she opposed so vocally at the trial.

After apparating Alice back to her flat, so she could get ready and make it to her hair appointment on time, Draco returned to Malfoy Manor and headed to the kitchen for something to eat. On the way, however, he encountered his mother dictating instructions to Loister, the family house elf. She was already in full preparation mode for the night's event and Draco hoped she'd be too involved right then to bother him, especially after the slight embarrassment she caused him this morning.

Trying to side-step the two, Narcissa called, "Wait a second dear, we should talk," making Draco stop in his tracks. She quickly finished her conversation with Loister, saying aggressively, "Now don't mess this up or you know what my husband will do."

Looking pathetic, Loister replied meekly, "Yes Mistress Malfoy, I will serve the esteemed Malfoy family with the greatest intent," he continued to fidget his fingers before leaving to finish his many tasks.

"Draco," her mood changed to an overly pleasant one, "Your father and I had a discussion last night and he supports your decision."

"That's a little difficult to believe," Draco said unconvinced.

"Honest, he realized at the ceremony what she means to you and that's all that matters. Of course, you can ask him yourself, but only after you pick up your robes. You know Madam Malkin's is only open until two on a Saturday."

"I know, I'll be off after I eat something," Draco now felt more optimistic about the plans he had for tonight.

* * *

Alice managed to find the hair salon on time, since she was trying a new place in the city. She had not gotten her hair cut and colored since before the trial, already four months ago. Her auburn locks had faded to a lighter brown hue and her ends undoubtedly abounded with splits. Her only saving grace was the ability to pull her long hair up in a bun or ponytail, even though that style was preferable in the summer months. After discussing with the hairstylist her preferences and the fact that she would be teaching and didn't want to look like one of the students, she decided to dye it a dark auburn, adding a heavy side swept fringe and chopping off a substantial amount into an angled bobbed that hit just below the shoulders. It was a substantial change, but it made her blue eyes pop and helped adjust her age slightly. Even if it was just a haircut, Alice felt energized and somewhat more prepared for the event that evening.

After leaving the salon, her mobile rang, it was her father.

"Hey, good timing, just finished at the salon," she was glad he called.

"Getting dolled up for the evening I assume," he said in his usual cheerful tone, having already been told about the Malfoy's celebration for Draco's "chemist" award.

"I am, I feel like I'm going to prom," she laughed, though she avoided her high school one like the plague, "I'm expecting this one to be preferably sophisticated."

Her father chuckled and then said sentimentally, "You have definitely grown into an exceptional woman Alice."

She didn't know where that came from; it felt a bit out of character for him. "Is everything alright?" she asked slightly concerned.

"Your old man is just happy for you," he said, "You've accomplished so much and I think you've even found the right guy."

"Thanks Dad, I think so too," she still was wondering why he felt a need to tell her this now. "Oh, I heard from Aunt Marla and Uncle George recently, sounds like they had an amazing time in France." They had extended their holiday quite a lot longer than anticipated.

"They certainly stayed long enough. I actually thought they were going to permanently relocate. I do plan on calling them this weekend to let them know our travel plans," he and the family would be in London in the next week visiting.

"They're already planning for it and they invited Draco and me for dinner there this week. I'm hoping Aunt Marla behaves herself," Alice knew Aunt Marla's tendency to incessantly gush about silly topics and she had no doubt that Draco would find her a prime example of an annoying muggle.

"Oh you know very well she won't, best to warn Draco prior," he said amused. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your exciting day."

"Okay Dad, I'll let you know all about it next time we talk…" Alice went on a quick grocery store run before returning to her flat. That afternoon she had a few hours to work on her book before spending a little extra time making herself presentable for the party.

* * *

Draco returned from his errands in Diagon Alley and found his father strolling the gardens with Fritz faithfully following him. Lucius was most likely avoiding the magical preparations taking place inside the mansion, where Narcissa was overseeing the dining hall's transformation into an elaborate venue for the night's event.

Draco caught up to his father and began walking by his side. Lucius spoke first, "I see your avoiding your mother's mayhem as well."

"I actually came to speak with you," Draco replied politely.

"Ah," knowing full well what it was about, "I suppose you need to verify what your mother told you."

"It's important for me to hear it from you."

Lucius wasn't sure he was prepared to admit that he acquiesced to his son's desires, as if he lost a battle he could only quietly fight for the last several months. "If it's what you want…"

Draco remained silent, which acted as a prod for him to continue.

He hesitated, "Alice is exceptional in all ways but one and I do not need to inform you what that one discrepancy is."

"Her ancestry," Draco answered.

"To dismiss this family's pure-blood heritage should be unthinkable, but also is controlling who you find significant enough to share your life with."

"Do you really mean that?" Draco asked, doubtful that his father actually meant the words he spoke.

"I owe it to you to no longer dictate your path," Lucius said sincerely, but then looking at his son in all seriousness, "She better be worth it."

"She is father," Draco replied, his eyes expressing his gratitude.

* * *

Dressed in a brand new tuxedo, where the cuffs and blazer had a certain amount of "wizard flare," as Alice liked to call it, Draco apparated to Alice's flat to pick her up for the event, which had just started.

"Al?" he called, since she was not to be found in the living room.

"I'm in here, just a sec," she called from the bathroom where she was just finishing getting ready.

As she emerged from the door, Draco went wide-eyed, having not expected her hair to change quite so dramatically, along with the flowing blue gown, the likes of which he'd never seen her in.

"What do you think?" Alice asked concerned, "And be honest."

"I'm speechless," Draco replied; he was honestly dumbstruck by her transformation.

"I know it's a change," Alice said pushing back a strand of her hair, "But…"

"It's perfect," Draco interrupted her, "You look even more beautiful. And this dress," taking her one hand, he twirled her around as if they were dancing, "How can I make you dress up more often?"

Alice moved closer to straighten his bowtie and give his stylish tuxedo a look through with a coy smile on her face, "And you look handsome, maybe we should find more reasons."

Like a chivalrous gentleman, he raised his arm towards her to disapparate and Alice slowly placed her hand on top of his. "Ready?" he asked, and as always, she nodded and closed her eyes.

Draco apparated them to a secluded garden on the Malfoy's grounds which she had never been to before. Ivy vines twirled around thin iron archways that enclosed them. Small firefly-like lights remained stationary and perfectly spaced throughout the greenery above, creating illuminated dots on them and the ground below.

Alice was unsure why Draco apparated her here and not the foyer where they could enter the grand hall. Her eyes looked questioningly at him, thinking perhaps he was avoiding the celebration a little longer. She gave him a suspicious smile.

"Al, I need to ask you something," he started, somewhat nervously.

"Okay, if this is about the party…" She thought he was trying to apologize in advance again for any possible impoliteness that came from the gala's guests.

"No," he interrupted and struggled with his next words, but quickly composed himself, "It's about us."

"Us?" Alice repeated slightly worried, thinking a talk about "us" could never be good.

"Yes us, since we've met, I've never felt anything more right." He then took her hands in his.

"It's been the same for me," Alice replied slightly relieved, but not sure where he was going with it.

"This rightness between us, it makes me realize I couldn't imagine life without you. I know it's sudden, but I want to make this commitment. What I'm trying to say," from his inner robe pocket he pulled out an intricately carved platinum ring, a family heirloom that had a large round diamond caddied by two smaller sliver cut emeralds, "Will you do me the honor and marry me?"

From hearing the words to seeing the ring, Alice felt like she apparated ten times over only to end up in the same spot speechless. Yes it was sudden, but in her heart she felt it was right. Draco brought not only a sense of peace to Alice, but she had given him her trust, which she never thought she'd be able to do. She knew she wanted to be with him forever, but he ended up asking her first.

She finally blurted out a "Yes!" Most likely the tersest reply she'd ever given. Draco slipped the ring on her finger before enveloping her in an embrace, lifting her slightly before kissing her lips. He was overjoyed and relieved, thinking perhaps she'd be concerned they were rushing into things.

"I couldn't imagine life without you either," Alice whispered, finding her ability to speak suppressed by the shock of what just happened. She looked at the unique ring now encircling her finger, "This is beautiful."

"This ring has been in the Malfoy family for generations, passed on to me to give to my future wife. I couldn't wait Al, I knew you were the one."

A big smile spread across Alice's face, "I felt the same, but," she thought about the reality, "What will your…"

"Father accepts it," Draco finished her sentence for her. While they never overtly discussed Lucius's discontent for their relationship, it was a point of worry for both of them. Alice was more than aware of the Malfoy's proud history of blood purity and despite Narcissa's support, Alice always suspected if marriage did come up there would be a problem.

"So you've already discussed it with him? I didn't think…" Alice thought such an acceptance this soon was impossible.

"Neither did I, but it wouldn't have stopped me either way," he said assured.

Reveling in their happiness a moment longer, they knew they should probably join the party and entered the back door. "Time to share the good news," Draco said happily.

The interior of the Malfoy Manor's grand hall had been transformed into an elaborate gala space, draped in translucent red fabric, white paper lanterns floated in the air, champagne bottles moved through the space like tangible specters, and long tables presented the finest cuisine the wizarding world had to offer. There was a five piece band playing classical music to complete the ambience. Narcissa had certainly spared no expense on making this a high-class event for high class attendees. Dressed in dashing suits and full length gowns, it was elite wizarding society through and through.

Standing a bit taller and feeling like he could face this event even better than before, Draco entered the hall's great doorway with Alice by his side; she felt like she exuded the joy she was feeling inside at that moment. Narcissa immediately noted their arrival, as did the rest of the guests, but she anxiously looked for a sign that Draco had accomplished his task. Draco then nodded to his mother with a smile and she knew.

"If I could have everyone's attention," Narcissa called out to the crowd, making everyone look towards her, "As you all know, you have been invited here to celebrate a grand achievement of my son, Draco, but I am also proud to announce another reason for celebration, the Malfoy family will soon be gaining a daughter, Alice and Draco are engaged."

There were some sounds of surprise and questioning looks amongst the attendees, but it was eclipsed by polite applause.

Nearby Draco's old classmate Blaise Zabini quickly went over to Draco and offered him his hand along with congratulations to the couple.

"Should have known you'd be the first," he said to Draco smugly, remembering their discussion months back about having difficulty finding the right girl and their pledge to both remedy it soon.

"Of course, I always beat you at everything," Draco said equally snide, making Blaise laugh.

Narcissa also made her way over to greet them. She immediately gave Alice a hug, "I couldn't be any happier Alice," she said while still embracing her by the shoulders.

"Me too," Alice replied, relieved by her support.

"You'll be a welcomed addition to this family," she said sincerely, "And on a side note, your hair! I honestly thought Draco brought another beautiful girl to the party. I love it!"

Prior to the couple's entry, Lucius was standing with several guests discussing business and trading propositions. One of the wizards he was speaking to immediately asked after the announcement, "You were aware this?"

"Of course I was aware of it," Lucius said annoyed though expecting these inquiries to come.

"And you condoned it?" he said surprised.

"As if there was a choice," he replied disdainfully.

A witch joined the conversation and said haughtily, "If my child did this, they'd be disowned."

"Of course they would," the first wizard agreed, "Perhaps that's what Lucius intends?"

"It would only be proper," the witch added, "To save your family the disgrace."

Feeling their comments inappropriate, even for him, Lucius said impolitely, "Unlike you, I would not let this break my family apart. If you excuse me." He decided to leave them and rejoin his wife. The idea of abandoning his son was never something Lucius was comfortable with, even though many pure-blood families were known to erase offspring from their family trees for marrying or cavorting with the "wrong sort." Both he and Narcissa came to believe that family should always come before ideology, a trait which unexpectedly kept them out of Azkaban after the war.

Gossiping continued and as Lucius walked through the room he could hear a witch say, "Oh my, would you look at Narcissa," they watched as Narcissa hugged Alice, "She looks absolutely overjoyed."

A wizard then added not too quietly, "The old ways are truly subsiding when one of the oldest pure-blood families willingly puts an end to their line."

Lucius wondered why such an announcement had to be made tonight of all nights, in front of so many families who would obviously find it distasteful. Perhaps it was part of Narcissa and Draco's continued ploy to change the family image, something he saw little value in, especially when it threatened his ulterior dealings. He approached his wife, who was still smiling and speaking all too proudly to Alice.

Alice noticed him and quickly told Narcissa to excuse her a moment as she went to show her gratitude to Mr. Malfoy for his acceptance. She went over to him with her hand out, saying sincerely, "Thank you so much for giving us your blessing, Mr. Malfoy."

He took her hand only to pull her forward to speak to her more discretely, "You managed to charm my son and my wife thus initiating the end of this family's blood purity, do not expect me to embrace you quite so easily."

Alice looked at him slightly disappointed by his words; she didn't speak but nodded in understanding of what he said.

"Alice," Narcissa came up from behind her, unaware of her husband's unkind remark, "I'd like you to meet some of my friends." Narcissa took her arm and led her off, and Alice willingly went, but first she looked back at Draco, giving him a reassuring smile, trying not to let what Mr. Malfoy said bother her.

Watching Alice look adoringly at Draco, Blaise said to his friend, "You're one lucky man." Even he thought she looked beautiful tonight.

"I know," Draco said quietly as he continued to watch Alice from afar.

Narcissa proudly introduced Alice to a group of fashionable witches who appeared at first snobby on her approach but warmed up shortly after when one of the witches asked, "Where did you get that astonishing dress? Is that muggle attire?"

"Yes, in London. I wouldn't know where to shop in the wizarding world," Alice said slightly embarrassed.

"Oh Narcissa, you should remedy that," the witch replied drinking a little more champagne.

"She's actually taken me shopping in the muggle world," Narcissa mentioned quite amused.

"Oh I heard about this," the one witch remembered in conversation over tea with Narcissa, "I loved the outfit Narcissa was wearing that day, all muggle made."

"I had no idea muggle fashion was so…fashionable," another witch said surprised.

Narcissa added, "You all must find the courage to go, honestly, I did the best shopping that day."

The ladies all nodded in amusement and one asked, "Now Alice, your grandfather was Albus Dumbledore, any other magical relatives?"

"I don't believe so," Alice replied politely.

"I see," the one witch replied disdainfully.

Narcissa then mused happily, "If you didn't know, Alice will be a teaching at Hogwarts next year, along with Draco. I never imagined I'd have professors in the family,"

"The Malfoys will soon be known for being studious," another witch laughed, "My son is currently going into his final year at Hogwarts. Perhaps he'll be one of your students?"

"Unfortunately I'll only be teaching sixth year students," Alice said.

"That's a shame," she replied haughtily, "It would have been such a novelty for him to be taught by a muggle."

"How is Broderick?" Narcissa quickly interrupted, "I'm sure he's a dashing lad like his father now."

Alice suspected this may be the mother of the same Broderick Pryce who hit on her before her first apparating lesson.

"Oh, he's definitely matured and has become rather interested in taking over the family business. It's a relief really, since all he used to dream about was playing quidditch."

Another witch added pompously, "My Shelton was the same, dreamt of being a famous dragon master only to end up in the trading business building quite an empire. Was Draco the same, Narcissa?"

"Surprisingly Draco always had an interest in potions and did quite well at Hogwarts, he was even head boy," said Narcissa proudly thinking back, "I would never have assumed he'd already be a Potions Master, but as we all know, Slytherin's are the most ambitious out of the lot."

They all nodded in agreement.

"Oh my," the lady who Alice assumed was Mrs. Pryce started, feigning her embarrassment with a hand over her mouth, "I was just going to ask Alice which house she was in but then remembered, you were completely muggle taught, correct dear?"

"That's right, it's a very different educational system, as you can imagine." Alice wondered why she insisted on raising the muggle card again.

"I couldn't possibly," she said slightly amused, "Without magic, what is there to learn?"

Alice wondered if this question was a serious one, but tried to remain respectful in her reply, "Many other important subjects are taught like science, mathematics, literature, foreign languages, history…and many students study beyond secondary education or seventh year as you call it to earn specialized degrees. I completed a doctorate, which is the most advanced and requires another eight or so years of education."

"I wasn't aware it was so extensive, maybe muggles really have come a long way in their intelligence."

Alice gave a slight smile in agreement, reminding herself to be polite though this woman's ignorance was starting to bother her. She was especially overjoyed to have suddenly felt a familiar hand on her back, hopefully there to whisk her away.

"Excuse me ladies, if you don't mind, there's many people I'd like to introduce my fiancé to," Draco sounded quite charming at that moment and Alice wondered if the heat from her cheeks was visible.

"It was lovely meeting you all," Alice said before being led by Draco out of their circle. She then whispered to him, "Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it," he said while leading her to the other side of the room.

With Draco by her side, the guests were less willing to comment negatively on their engagement and she made it through the evening somewhat unscathed. Most of all she enjoyed talking to Horace Slughorn, who, after a few glasses of champagne, had the most amusing stories to tell. Draco told her later that she probably found them interesting only because she had never heard them before, unlike most of his acquaintances.

After all the champagne was poured and when the last of the guests left the party, Narcissa clapped her hands and said proudly, "I consider that a success."

"It was a wonderful party Narcissa, I loved how you decorated the place," Alice said, as the family moved themselves to the drawing room to unwind. She was really impressed by the manor's transformation into an airy and sophisticated banquet hall.

"And you were a trooper Alice, my friends were quite impressed," Narcissa said sincerely.

"Oh, I'm glad," Alice replied, unsure if it was true considering some of their comments, "I assumed I wouldn't be the only one surprised by tonight's announcement."

"Well, Draco can be blamed for all of that," she said looking back at him as they walked, "He probably would have asked you weeks ago but I'm glad he did so on a proper occasion."

"Is that so?" Alice asked Draco suspiciously.

"The thought did cross my mind," he smiled back at her.

"Yet you chose tonight and unsteadied my business relations," Lucius remarked irately.

"Father, I'm sure you'll gain a foothold again, besides it's only your hobby" Draco said back.

Lucius crossed his arms, looking more than annoyed, for it was not only his business that was unsteadied that evening, but his whole social standing.

Narcissa noticed her husband's disdain, and said optimistically, "Lucius, whatever you lost tonight, you will soon gain a daughter."

"Lovely," Lucius said derisively, pouring himself a small glass of tonic at the wet bar.

"Alice, have you given thought to your wedding?" Narcissa asked while propping herself on an armchair, most likely interested if she could be of assistance.

"Oh, I haven't actually," Alice said, realizing again the newness of being engaged.

"You must have thought about it before though?" Narcissa prodded.

"I know it's assumed most young girls dream of their future wedding, but I honestly never thought I'd get married or find the right guy for that matter," she then looked happily at Draco.

"Glad I could remedy that," Draco joked, though he liked how atypical Alice was.

"Never took you for a pessimist," Lucius asked slightly interested that she wasn't always the shining light of life that he took her to be.

"Perhaps it's something we have in common," Alice smirked.

Narcissa laughed, "She has a point." Lucius was not amused at the sentiment, however.

"But in terms of a ceremony, I don't know Draco," she looked for his opinion, "Maybe we should keep it small, for our immediate families."

Draco nodded, "I think that's necessary considering," he thought a clash of two large populations of magical folk and muggles would be worrisome. "We have this winter or the spring, during the school breaks."

"So soon?" Lucius asked surprised, perhaps wanting them to wait it out a bit longer for his sake.

Narcissa ignored her husband, "A winter wedding could be quite astonishing if it's put together properly."

"We should probably keep it simple though," Draco said, knowing his mother's planning mode had come on.

"Of course, and I hear your father and his family will be in town soon. They are going to come over for dinner, correct?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, speaking of, I have to tell him the news," Alice wondered how he'd react to her being engaged.

"Actually, he knows," Draco replied, "I called earlier today to ask for his permission."

"You didn't?" Alice was shocked.

"I know what you're going to say, actually your father told me," Draco said embarrassed, "He said you'd dislike the gendered aspect of my asking, but you'd more than likely forgive me for my mistake."

Alice started laughing, "My father does know me. Although it explains the conversation I had with him this afternoon. Obviously he's okay with it." It now made sense why her father seemed overly sentimental than usual on the phone with her earlier that day.

"Yeah, he actually told me a story of how he met your mother," Draco remembered.

Alice smiled and thought back, "They fell in love fast and married three months later."

"He said sometimes you just know so there's no use in waiting. And he added that he'd be surprised if you said no."

"Did he? Well, I do speak highly of you most of the time," Alice said slyly.

"Thanks," Draco smirked.

Narcissa listened cheerfully to their conversation, "You two make me wish I was young again. Can you even remember when we were their age Lucius? Seems like ages ago now."

"It was ages ago," Lucius said dryly as he started to read that evening's _Daily Prophet_; obviously not as charmed by Alice and Draco's conversation as his wife.

"Your father and I met at school, and he liked me well before I even noticed him," Narcissa started highly amused by the memory.

"He must have been persistent then," Alice said overly intrigued, mainly because she could tell Mr. Malfoy was getting irritated by the discussion.

"Believe me, persistent well after graduation. That's when I gave him a chance. On our first date he…"

"You don't think I will just sit here and allow you to…" Lucius was at a loss for words.

"Embarrass you?" Narcissa completed his sentence, "Well, let's just say he's more romantic than he looks."

Alice stifled a laugh and she could tell Narcissa was intentionally goading Mr. Malfoy on, much to her own delight.

Changing the subject slightly Alice said, "I actually find it amazing how everyone seems to have gone to Hogwarts, it really connects people in this realm."

"It certainly does," Narcissa agreed, "You spend the majority of your teenage years there making friends, creating enemies. Everyone knows everyone around their age group because of that school, unless they happened to be sent somewhere else. "

"I guess so, makes me feel a little at a disadvantage in terms of knowing people's history," Alice remarked, feeling that lack of significance in her life when trying to connect on the same level with wizarding folks.

"I can imagine," Narcissa agreed, "That school engages everyone's life in some way, from going there to sending their children there. Of course, it also creates the intolerance that you've witnessed. I hear it's much better now."

Draco added, "I'm not so sure if its better, only less pronounced than in the past. Not to mention losing the war helped."

"Well," Naricissa thought, "It did place most of the old adherents in Azkaban or dead."

"Are there other Death Eaters who are still free?" Alice asked curiously.

"Not from what I know," Narcissa replied, "Honestly, if it wasn't for my adoring husband and my wonderful son, I could have gone the same way. We all could have."

"I heard about what you did Narcissa, and I thought it was incredibly brave," Alice was referring to Narcissa's lie to Voldemort about Harry Potter being deceased.

Narcissa smiled, honored by her comment, "Yes, at that point all I cared about was finding Draco, Lucius would have done the same."

"If presented the opportunity," Lucius remarked from behind the paper.

"We had very few at that time, horrible to look back on now, but a happy ending keeps unraveling. And I honestly haven't seen Draco this happy."

Alice, who was sitting next to Draco on a sofa, put her hand on his.

Narcissa then said proudly, "The Malfoys will always put family first. And now that you're going to be a part of our family, you should probably know more of its history."

"I think I sifted through most of it for her already, not the cheeriest topic," Draco replied.

"But certainly not the most uninteresting either," Alice said assuredly, "I mean, you have a history, generations upon generations of it. I can't say the same for what I know about my own side."

Lucius shifted in his chair, unpleased with the thought of her muggle ancestry.

"Well, no history is more likely to mean a pleasant one," Draco joked.

"Perhaps," Alice smirked, "Or a boring one."

"Depends on how you look at it, but the past members in this family will certainly make your skin crawl. I already told you about my mother-in-law," Narcissa said jokingly; wondering what Lucius's reaction would be as he continued to sit and read the paper.

Lowering the paper, Lucius looked at his wife with one eyebrow raised, "Must you always insist on insulting my mother?"

"Oh, he was listening," Narcissa said feigning surprised. "So what do you think Lucius? We should introduce Alice to some Malfoy traditions, especially since you'll be living here."

Alice realized that marriage would most likely mean moving into Malfoy Manor, an odd thought at that moment.

"We haven't discussed that yet mother," Draco interrupted, again somewhat embarrassed at her forwardness.

"No need to hurry things Narcissa," Lucius was slightly annoyed by his wife's persistence, but not taking his eyes from the paper, "Besides, Alice will first need to learn to apparate before it's even tenable for her to relocate."

"Don't remind me," Alice remarked, "The classes haven't exactly been instructive."

"Oh that's right, you've been taking classes at the Ministry," Narcissa said as if she suddenly remembered, "You'll get it eventually, it takes time for everyone."

"Not everyone," Lucius said smugly.

"Oh please, like you did it any faster than anyone else," Narcissa said sarcastically. "Once you do get it dear, you're perfectly welcome to apparate right into our foyer. No need to stand outside the door and wait for that dawdling house elf to do his job."

"Thank you, I'll remember that," Alice said pleased, feeling like it was the wizarding world equivalent of getting a spare key, "Hopefully I won't have to extend my lessons. I only have four left in this series."

"I'll work with you this week on it," Draco said, assuring her. "I honestly think Alice overanalyzes magic, otherwise she'd be brilliant at it."

"That's years of critical, theoretical and skeptical training at work, very difficult to go against," Alice said lightheartedly, knowing Draco was probably right in the first part of his analysis, "I know I have to make magic more than just an accessory, but it hasn't become an innate part of my life yet."

"Do you use magic often, I mean outside of training?" Narcissa asked.

"Honestly no, my day to day life hasn't changed. I assume apparating will become my main use of it though. And I think that's probably the most amazing magical thing a muggle could dream of learning. Teleporting yourself anywhere is only sci-fi fantasy where I come from," Alice said amused.

"Quite a lofty aspiration to be imagined by mere muggles," Lucius remarked from his chair sarcastically.

"One thing muggles do not lack is imagination," Alice said boldly back, "Besides, almost everything in this realm has its own mythos in mine. Magic, wizards, dragons, goblins, trolls, they're all written in the pages of muggle fiction. Somehow we just convinced ourselves they're not real. "

"And you just managed to figure it out?" Lucius queried suspiciously.

"Well, it took awhile, but the Death Eaters weren't exactly covert in their debauchery, nor was the Ministry's cleanup completely efficient," Alice was referring to what allowed her to write her book on 20th century conspiracies and government cover-ups of the magical world. "I didn't really believe it myself until being taken into custody. It's hard to go back on a lifetime of disbelief."

"I think you still carry that disbelief with you to a certain extent," Draco said.

"Definitely," Alice agreed, "Every time I see something implausible I have to stop and remind myself that things don't work the same way here. Even with my own abilities, they're easier to forget than to use."

"Perhaps you should try using magic more often dear," Narcissa said encouragingly, "Especially those domestic spells I taught you. If you become more comfortable using it casually, it'll feel more natural."

"I also promise more useful spells are waiting in the upper grade level books," Draco reminded her, since they had only just started level four of The Standard Book of Spells, "You've only gotten the basics."

Alice agreed with their sentiments, "With the school year approaching, I definitely need to step up my learning. If only I had longer days."

"That's possible," Draco said seriously, though knowing it would surprise her.

"What?" Alice said shocked.

"We could find you a time turner," Draco replied casually.

"No no no, I'm really not interested in messing with the time-space continuum and the fact that you can is, well, there's an example of me being dumbfounded of the possibility. I'll do it the muggle way for now."

"Speaking of time, it's already after midnight," Narcissa said a bit alarmed that they had been conversing for that long. "I think we would do better with our time if we got a good night's rest."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Alice replied. After saying goodnight, Draco apparated her back to her flat where he would stay the night.

Narcissa went to stand by Lucius's side as he looked into the empty fireplace, contemplating the night's events.

"Thank you for being civil tonight," Narcissa said, grateful that he dealt with everything better than she expected.

Lucius finished the last of the tonic in his glass before speaking, "If Alice ever intends to be a proper member of this family, she needs to accept the fact that she's a witch and start acting like one."

"And we need to accept the fact that she's also part muggle," Narcissa said steadily, placing his hand on his arm, and then trying to counter her husband with reason, "She's learning, you could do the same."

He said nothing, but Narcissa tugged lightly on his arm and they both readily retired for the evening.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Thanks so much for waiting. We're finally going to Hogwarts with them! :D

* * *

With Alice's family in town, she was spending the majority of her week catching up with her 12 year old half-siblings and Jane, her step-mother, either rediscovering famous London landmarks and shopping districts or relaxing in the backyard pool at Aunt Marla and Uncle George's home. For the last several summers when they were there on holiday, this had been the norm. Alice would travel down from Oxford and stay with them during those two or so carefree weeks. Though this time around, Alice was bit busier with an interview for a lecturing position she applied for, as well as her Friday apparating lessons at the Ministry. Also, being engaged definitely changed the dynamic. Alice always relished having more time with her father, but he had became more sentimental with her now that she would soon be married. This prompted him to bring old photo albums to go through with her, giving Draco an even more in-depth life history than Alice was comfortable with. Draco also had a chance to meet the other members of the family. She was amazed how well he handled Aunt Marla's overly gushy attitude as she asked a multitude of embarrassing questions about their relationship, while also mentioning Alice's ex-boyfriend in the conversation. Draco was able to play it cool, which Aunt Marla took to be an air of sophistication stemming from his wealthy, aristocratic background.

Draco's elite background was particularly of interest to everyone in the family since her father, his wife and the kids would be traveling to Wiltshire to visit Malfoy Manor for dinner soon. While Alice thought it might be less damning to have Draco's parents come to London and possibly meet her family somewhere in town, Narcissa insisted on playing host. Alice hoped any oddness experienced by her kin would be taken as a quirk of upper-class society versus any notion of them being of a different world. Narcissa was adamant about keeping it low key with no magic in sight. They would also make sure that all charms on the Manor would be lifted during that time, the portraits would be muffled and Loister the house elf would be busy doing chores in the upper portions of the manor, not to be seen or heard. Alice was more skeptical with social interaction, however. She especially wondered how Mr. Malfoy would deal with four muggles in his home. If anything, it would definitely test his tolerance.

The family left earlier in the morning, stopping at Salisbury Plain to explore Stonehenge along the way. Alice would be accompanying them, since she could fit in their car rental. She ended up having to sit in between her two siblings who incessantly bickered amongst each other. She always referred to them as the two terrors for good reason since they tended to find ways to create mischief wherever they went. They were already given the rules to not touch anything in the Malfoy's house, but she doubted they'd comply. Draco had noted their rambunctiousness and said it was hard to believe they were related to her. Jacob insisted on bringing along a soccer ball after he heard from Alice that the manor had a large grassy lawn in the back. She hoped him and Johanna could spend some time playing football back there while the grownups talked; anything to keep them away from the valuable antiques that littered the place.

Draco would already be at the manor awaiting their arrival with his parents. As they drove, Alice hoped she wouldn't get lost, especially considering she should technically know her way by now. She had never actually approached the manor by road or the front door since Draco had always apparated her directly into the foyer. As they made their way through the winding country roads, Alice kept the image of the map she studied in her head as she dictated the directions to her father who was driving.

As they approached the large gated estate, Jane asked, "So how much of this land do they own?"

"I think quite a lot," Alice replied, not terribly sure the extent of their property or wealth for that matter. Draco's inheritance never really was of much interest to Alice and it seemed an afterthought after everything else. She knew they were loaded, especially if she took the huge juxtaposition between them and for example, how her great uncle Aberforth lived. Now that her family was in town, however, she realized it looked like she was marrying into the upper-crust of English society. Luckily, Jane and her father were not unacquainted with wealth. Jane grew up in Beverly Hills in a well-to-do family, and while Alice's father had humble beginnings, he rose to substantial financial gain through climbing the business ladder. Alice remembers the change from first moving to Los Angeles and living in small two bedroom apartment, to when she was getting ready to leave for college, when they had moved into a decent sized house in a nice neighborhood in Santa Monica. Since then her father had gained a vice president position in the company which again maximized his monetary income. Alice thus was less worried about them being surprised by the Malfoy's ostentatious wealth and more concerned with a misunderstanding of their quirkiness in manner.

As they parked the car just outside the large wrought-iron gates, Jacob started getting super excited, "Wow! They live in a castle!"

"It's doesn't look like a castle silly," Johanna responded sarcastically, though she hadn't taken her eyes off her pink Nintendo DS which she played continuously on the ride there, "It's a mansion."

Alice walked up to the gates with her family behind her and as she suspected, there was no call box to phone into the manor that they arrived. However, as soon as she touched the gate, they opened automatically. "Well, I guess we can go on in," Alice tried to say casually, acting unfazed.

They had a ways to walk to the front door and their path was lined with high shrubbery on each side that was perfectly manicured. This had Jane commenting that she wished she could get her hedges to look half as good. A white peacock was grazing in front of them, prompting Jacob to start running directly at it.

"Hey!" Alice yelled at him as he ran, "Don't startle it!"

The peacock quickly scurried away, outstretching and flapping its wings slightly to get it moving. Jacob turned and waited for the group, though Alice gave him a disconcerting look.

"Why are they white?" asked Jacob as they caught up.

Her father replied, "They're albino peacocks, quite a rarity I hear, must be a special lot they have. Perhaps we should ask Alice for the scientific answer."

Alice thought, "They lack the enzyme we all have that produces the melanin that gives us color, so basically it's a genetic defect that makes them white."

"Oh, so they're defective?" Jacob asked confused.

"Well, they didn't get the gene from their parents," Alice replied, though she now wondered whether the Malfoy's peacock population was white through magical means versus through selective breeding, a question she never bothered to ask.

They approached the giant wooden doors and Alice gave it a solid knock. Jane quickly insisted for Johanna to put away her Nintendo DS. Alice's stomach already felt upset from the pending clash of two realities waiting to happen. After a few seconds of waiting, the right door opened slowly and Narcissa was there to greet them.

"Please come in. Oh Alice, so glad you came," Narcissa said cheerfully kissing Alice lightly on the cheeks as she came through the door. Alice noted she was dressed in an outfit she bought on their shopping trip in London. "And this must be your family."

As the family sifted through the door, they each marveled at the grandeur of the foyer, realizing right away the history this house held. Draco and Lucius were both standing there waiting to greet them and almost immediately, Fritz ran from their side, right up to Alice.

"Well, I guess I should introduce everyone," Alice said laughing at the dog, "Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, this is my father and his wife, Thomas and Jane McNally, and these two are Johanna and Jacob."

Immediately Johanna and Jacob were taken by the large wolf hound.

"Oh, and this is Fritz," Alice added.

"Oh wow, it's like a small horse!" Jacob exclaimed.

"More like a pony," Johanna quipped back as they both patted Fritz on the head.

"It's lovely to meet you," her father said amused by his children while offering his hand to Lucius and Narcissa who gave him a shake. Jane did the same.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you," Narcissa replied cheerfully while shaking his hand, "Alice has told us so much about you."

"I certainly hope she was kind," he said equally cheery and both Malfoys noted his heavy British accent that was so unlike Alice's Americanized one.

"This is a lovely home," Jane said politely, "I've honestly never seen such well manicured shrubbery. You must have an incredible gardener."

"Wait until you see the garden," Narcissa said pleasantly, though no gardener was involved in keeping those plants maintained. "I would love to give you a tour."

Next to them, Thomas tried to spark a conversation with Lucius, who had said very little since they arrived, "So Lucius, I hear you are a bit of an entrepreneur."

"Something like that. I find businesses worth investing in on occasion," Lucius replied, "How about I pour you a drink and we can talk?"

Alice watched suspiciously as Lucius led her father into the drawing room, she honestly hoped he wouldn't poison him; she was relieved when Narcissa and Jane followed.

Jacob had already shown Draco his soccer ball, "I know it's a football here, but we call it soccer in the US," he said proud of his knowledge.

"He insisted on bringing it once I told him you have a rather large grass lawn in the back," Alice explained.

"Want to go give it a try outside then?" Draco asked, also thinking it'd be best if they had something to do while the grownups talked.

They led the kids through the back patio doors to the lawn where more albino peacocks were grazing. Fritz followed behind, but then he did a quick run through the field making the birds scurry away. Jacob immediately kicked out the ball and Johanna ran after it, preparing to play a game.

Alice turned to Draco, "Do you think we should rejoin the adults, just in case?" She was a bit nervous about leaving them alone.

"Don't worry, mother has it covered. And we'll be eating on the back terrace so they'll be out soon," Draco reassured her.

Sure enough, shortly after trying to play a game of football with Fritz continuously interrupting, the Malfoys and McNallys stepped out onto the back porch from the green room. Narcissa had been giving them a brief tour of the downstairs rooms, avoiding the upstairs where Loister was as well as more dubious room such as the library whose magical book collection would have been a giveaway.

"Hope those two aren't giving you any problems," Jane said to Alice and Draco as they approached, "They love to make mischief," she said to Narcissa.

"Much to our demise," Thomas added.

"They're around the age when we sent Draco off to school," Narcissa said, "Sometimes I think it was better he was away!"

"That's what makes boarding school so tempting, unfortunately we have to wait until college," Thomas chuckled.

Jacob and Johanna ran over to everyone with Fritz following closely behind, unaware of their parent's comments.

"I'm sure you two are hungry," Narcissa said cheerfully, "Let's all go eat."

The families began walking to the back terrace, which overlooked the rolling green hills behind the manor. The light was still out but less strong than earlier. Dinner was waiting for them on a glass topped table and Alice worried they'd find this strange without any servants in sight, but neither her father nor Jane said anything. Wine glasses were also already filled for them. Loister the house elf must have quickly set it up and then disapparated back upstairs.

As they all sat down, Alice's father declared a toast, "I want to thank Lucius and Narcissa for inviting us to their wonderful estate for dinner and to the two responsible for joining these families, Draco and Alice, I cannot tell you how happy I am for your happiness, and to your upcoming wedding, which will bring us together again. Cheers!"

"Thanks Dad," Alice said, knowing it was so like him to do these types of things.

"Thank you sir," Draco replied politely.

"I knew the first time I saw these two together that they would up tying the knot," Thomas said assuredly.

"I felt the same way," Narcissa said cheerfully.

Then Jane asked curiously, "So how did you two meet exactly?"

Alice and Draco looked at each other, each wondering what to say. This was something Alice certainly glossed over when she first told her father she was dating Draco.

"We met at a conference at UCL," Alice finally said.

"Well, you're both academics, makes sense," Jane replied not giving it much thought, but then she asked with extra interest, "Was it love at first sight?"

Alice and Draco were again prompted to look at each other as they both remembered the first time they actually met in the interrogation room at the Ministry. Draco had entered the room behind Blaise and was shocked that Alice knew his name from the left behind _Daily Prophet_ she had in her possession for years. His only job was to take her hair and blood samples to test her ancestry, but when looking into her blue eyes he felt a connection; an intrigue he never thought he could have for a muggle. For Alice, Draco's presence and touch surprisingly calmed her, despite the uncomfortable situation she was in, and she saw a hidden kindness in him.

"Possibly," Alice said with a coy smile, still looking at Draco.

"I definitely think so," Draco agreed further.

"An odd place to have a connection," Lucius scoffed, obviously knowing where they actually met. Narcissa gave him a condescending look reminding him to be cautious with what he says.

"What kind of conference was it?" Jane asked.

"A history of science conference," Alice replied quickly, the topic would fit with Draco's "chemist" background and her background in science studies. "I ended up sitting near him and we had an unexpected conversation on Lavoisier and the history of phlogiston." Alice knew Draco had read one of her books on the early history chemistry, so he should know who and what she was talking about if asked.

Alice's father started laughing, "So like my daughter to either attract or deflect strangers with intellectual babble."

"If she was able to find someone who could hold that kind of conversation with her, then I guess it was love at first sight," Jane laughed along, showing why her and her father worked well together.

"Thanks," Alice said feeling slightly mocked.

"We were rather impressed with Alice when she first came here," Narcissa replied sincerely, "Honestly we've never met anyone like her."

"That's an understatement," Lucius said sarcastically.

"Well, it was refreshing to say the least," Narcissa added.

"Mother always feared I wouldn't find a genuine partner," Draco added, "It is difficult in my situation."

"I'm glad I raised her right," Thomas said proudly, thinking the situation referred to was his wealthy inheritance and how difficult it was to find a girl who wasn't solely interested in it.

"Alice has told us stories of your single fatherhood, quite heroic," Narcissa said.

"I wouldn't go that far, I had my moments but she was always able to adjust to new situations with ease," Thomas said looking at his daughter adoringly.

"I don't think I had much of a choice honestly," Alice commented, "I'm just lucky dad always tried to be there when I needed him, which is difficult when you have a pretty demanding career."

"Speaking of career," Thomas asked Draco, "I heard you'll be teaching at your former boarding school?" Considering Draco's wealth, Thomas found him taking this position rather honorable.

"Correct, the opportunity to work with younger students always appealed to me," Draco replied.

"Hopefully Alice will be able to find a position up that way," Jane added, remembering the school was in Scotland.

"I plan to, though I may be in London for a term or two. We'll work something out," Alice had not mentioned to her father about her Hogwarts position because it was too complicated to explain. Though she knew such a distance between them in muggle terms would create questions.

"We have a private jet that we'll use on our weekends apart," Draco added casually.

Alice's eyes went wide, she couldn't believe he just said that, maybe he was catching up on his muggle facts. Both Narcissa and Lucius looked at each other rather confused.

"Nice," Jane said impressed.

"Good man," Thomas added.

Jacob and Johanna had finished their meal quickly and asked to be excused to continue their football game on the grass lawn. Fritz followed closely behind, most likely interested in chasing the ball again. The conversation then drifted to discussing the twins and more reminiscing about Draco and Alice's childhood. This prompted Alice to change the topic to the wedding and they discussed the prospect of having a winter wedding and holding it at the manor. Again Lucius suggested that they wait until the spring, for better weather he said, but the rest of them liked the idea of white wedding. Luckily, the general topic allowed for less awkward conversation until they heard a scream from where the two kids were playing ball. It was Johanna.

Everyone rushed from the table to the lawn but neither of the two children were there, though they left behind their soccer ball. Then they heard Fritz barking from inside Narcissa's flower garden. When they entered the iron gates they found Johanna crying crouched by the side of an unconscious Jacob.

"I only dared him to eat it, I didn't think he would," she said with tears in her eyes.

Narcissa asked strictly, "What did he eat?" She knew very well there were poisonous varieties of plants littering her garden.

Johanna nervously pointed at a small flowering plant nearby, "He ate one of the berries," she said still distressed and feeling like it was her fault.

"Draco," Narcissa looked to her son for help.

"Baneberry," he knew what plant it was and that the berries were poisonous, "I'll be back," he left through the garden's entrance and once out of sight, quickly disapparated into the mansion to find an appropriate potion.

Jane was cradling Jacob in her arms as she checked for a pulse. It was faint, as was the color in his checks and lips. "Shouldn't we call an ambulance? We need to call an ambulance!" she cried.

Thomas who was next to her had already pulled out his mobile phone but his device was quickly confiscated by Lucius who said, "That won't be necessary."

"Of course it's necessary, my son's been poisoned!" he said irate; Alice thought he was possibly ready to fight Mr. Malfoy for his phone back.

"Calm down dad," Alice quickly intervened, "Draco will be back with a remedy." At least that is what she assumed.

At that moment, a whoosh sound was heard outside the garden and Draco entered back through the iron gates with a flask of liquid. Both Thomas and Jane looked bewildered at his sudden appearance, they wondered how he could have made it anywhere in that short amount of time.

"This will work," he said calmly, approaching the young boy who was still being cradled by his mother. He poured the grey liquid into his mouth, closing his jaw to induce swallowing. Thomas and Jane were extremely puzzled by this and by the Malfoy family's calmness when they were on the verge of mental breakdowns. It was not until Jacob's eyes began to flutter open that they could find room to breathe again.

After joyously hugging their awoken son they asked confused, "What happened?"

Draco tripped over his words slightly, "The berries are poisonous but this po…medicine counteracts that."

"Quick thinking," Thomas replied gratuitously, though wondering why no one informed them prior when they thought their child was dying.

"Jacob, never eat what's not on the table, even if your sister dares you!" Jane scolded the boy, even though she was still upset and cradling him like a baby.

"Sorry mom," Jacob said, still in a daze.

"And Johanna," Thomas added also displeased, "Don't dare your brother like that, 'cause he's daft enough to do it." He then turned to the Malfoys, "I'm so sorry for this, such an embarrassment."

"Not at all," Narcissa said courteously, "Kids will be kids."

"Apologies," Lucius said while handing Thomas back his mobile phone.

"I guess we overreacted," Thomas replied scratching his head after placing the phone back in his coat pocket.

"It's okay dad," Alice said calmly, "It was unexpected. Maybe we should be heading back to London?" She thought perhaps they should leave for home, before anything else unusual happened.

Thomas nodded while looking at his son who was sitting upright but was still pale. "Yes, perhaps Jacob should be back home in bed."

Draco added, "He'll regain his strength by tomorrow. Luckily the plant loses its potency in the summer so the berry he ate had only a little juice in it."

"How do you know this?" Jane asked slightly doubtful.

"Well…I study the chemistry of plants," Draco replied, realizing he probably shouldn't be explaining anymore than necessary.

Jane was not so easily convinced but she accepted it, but then she asked, "What did you call this plant again?"

"Baneberry," Draco knew he said it prior to leaving; it was a magical variety of plant, however.

"I've never heard of it," she said, even though she was someone with an avid interest in gardening.

"Rare variety, perhaps not available in your climate," Narcissa hopped in, "I always liked the plant's flowers since they maintain life quite long throughout the year, even into the winter."

They began walking back to the mansion and gathered again in the grand foyer.

"We definitely had a lovely time tonight," said Jane politely.

"Thank you again for inviting us," Thomas added, offering a polite handshake to them both.

"Jacob, Johanna, say thank you," Jane prodded the children to show their gratitude, which they did, even though Johanna had already become immersed into her Nintendo DS.

"Do enjoy the rest of your time in London," Narcissa said cheerily.

"We will," Thomas replied, "And Lucius, if you ever need investment advice, I'd be delighted."

"Appreciated," Lucius replied dryly. Alice could tell Mr. Malfoy was trying his hardest to maintain pleasant composure that evening and she was rather impressed with his effort. Then she wondered what Narcissa threatened him with beforehand.

After they exited, Alice strayed behind slightly and silently mouthed a big 'thank you' to the three, placing her hands over her heart to show her deep gratitude. She knew they all put in a tremendous effort to entertain guests they'd never imagine having and she couldn't have felt more touched by their endeavor.

On the way home, Jane said, "You are going to be well taken care of Alice, I've never seen such opulence, and I grew up in a place that's known for it."

"I never gave it much thought," Alice said truthfully; the wizarding factor was the only difference she seemed to internalize.

"Honestly? I'm actually surprised they're not strict on who he marries with that kind of wealth," Jane said glibly, she wasn't known for hiding her thoughts.

"I was surprised too," Alice agreed, though not for the wealth factor.

"Lucius seemed a bit…I don't know what you would call it?" Jane continued unsure.

A number of words ran through Alice's head, 'cold,' 'ruthless,' easily irritable,' but her father interrupted, "He's normal for men of his stature, I've dealt with the lot of them and he seems like a savvy investor."

Having her father use the word "normal" in relation to the Malfoys brought a huge sigh of relief to Alice; perhaps this wasn't a total disaster like she thought it would be.

After Jacob had fallen asleep in the back and Johanna had her headphones on while playing her video game, Jane said quietly, "I think I would have preferred not to have the incident in the garden, they probably thought we had such undisciplined children."

"I wouldn't worry Jane, luckily Draco's quick on his feet," Alice replied hoping to calm her.

"No kidding he was quick. He was barely gone a minute, how did he do that?" Jane asked.

"I don't think he went far, I believe they have some medicine in a shed in the back," Alice hoped that would clear up Draco's apparating incident.

"Oh, you know what else I'm surprised about, that you two are planning a small wedding. You think with their status they'd invite everyone in the upper crust of society," Jane said with slight sarcasm.

"Well, Draco and I feel it better otherwise," Alice started to remember why at times she didn't get along with Jane well.

"They aren't trying to hush up the marriage, are they?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"Oh no, not at all, our engagement was announced on a night when everyone in their inner circle was at the manor. It's already well-known," Alice reassured her.

"I think a small wedding fits their personalities better," Thomas stepped in, "Draco is not ostentatious, nor is Alice."

Thankfully for Alice, her father took everything easily and didn't question the situation as long as Alice was content, which she undoubtedly was. The next week she spent as much time as possible with her family before they flew back to California, happy to know it wouldn't be long before they returned that winter for their wedding. It was finally that last stretch of the summer before Hogwarts' school term would begin on September 1st. The rest of her days would be consumed by creating lesson plans and practicing spells. She started taking Narcissa and Draco's advice and using domestic spells to wash the dishes and clean her apartment. Anything to lighten her work load since she would also be teaching an introductory lecture course on science studies at UCL in the fall. The phone call for the job offer came when she was on her Friday lunch break in Diagon Alley, having endured several morning hours trying to apparate for Mr. Twycross at the Ministry. Her phone rang loudly in her bag, prompting a nearby patron at the restaurant she was eating at to unleash his wand on her.

Now with the opportunity to work in both realms at hand, her drive to apparate was even stronger. That afternoon she finally managed to apparate into her hoop without any splinching, much to her relief. It was second to last lesson and with a little more practice, she was able to pass the certification test. With this taken care of, she felt much more in control of her future schedule and also, a little more witch-like.

* * *

Alice packed the last of her books in her luggage, along with her laptop and laptop projector, a pair of decent speakers that she bought for watching videos in class, and several cords and wires, hoping Headmistress McGonagall didn't fail her with adding electricity to the Muggle Studies classroom. That morning she would be going to King's Cross Station to ride the Hogwarts Express train to Hogsmeade along with the rest of the students. It was customary for new teachers to accompany the students on the train so Draco would also be going. He planned to meet Alice on the other side of the platform, which meant she would have to pass through a wall between platforms nine and ten to get to platform nine and three-quarters. Even her ticket said "9 ¾" which alerted her that this was not a properly scheduled train from London.

As she made her way through the busy terminals, she was somewhat relieved she wasn't moving to the school at that time, noting how heavy her one piece of luggage was already. She would have a small office at Hogwarts, which was why she brought so many of her books. Draco would inhabit Professor Sulghorn's old office space, which according to him was more like a large apartment so she was welcomed to spend some of her spare time in there. Just a week prior Alice had successfully received her License to Apparate, finishing the Ministry class feeling less ashamed than when she started. Her schedule also worked out well. She would be teaching classes at Hogwarts in the mornings and afternoons on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while she had morning lectures at UCL on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She was not allowed to apparate inside Hogwarts so one option was to make the trip from just outside the grounds. Even though she liked the idea of walking through nature and she planned to on occasion, they did equip her office fireplace with a floo connection to the Malfoy's. She could now apparate back and forth from there. Everything seemed set at Hogwarts except for the technology part. She already envisioned her evening hooking up wires and troubleshooting with technology.

As she approached platform nine, Alice noticed several teens and younger students with trolleys rolling straight through a brick wall. Stranger yet was the fact that the muggles surrounding them didn't seem to notice. The trolleys had large trunks and cages on them and she wondered whether the students were allowed to have pets. On closer inspection, she saw owls, rats and even a cat on a student's trolley. "Odd," she thought, "Why would they allow students to have pets?" As she got closer she became rather apprehensive about running into a wall, being reminded of hitting her head a month ago in the drawing room thanks to Mr. Malfoy's "acquaintance." She stood there to watch a few other students go through before taking a turn.

"Hey ma, I think this muggle sees something," a kid with a trolley noticed Alice standing there watching and tugged on his mother's sleeve.

"Oh dear, happens every year, just wait a second until she leaves," the mother said cautiously.

Alice turned around sharply, "I'm not a muggle in that sense, I just haven't taken the train before."

"Why would you be taking the train? You don't seem to be a student," The mother asked suspiciously, looking at her muggle four-wheeled luggage.

"Because I'm a new teacher," she said firmly and then she introduced herself, "My name's Alice McNally."

"Oh! That's right, we read about you in the mailer," the mother remembered, "You definitely are new at this."

Alice smiled pleasantly, her newness was all too apparent.

"There's nothing to it," the mother added encouragingly, "Just go straight towards that wall and it'll take you directly to platform 9 ¾."

"Thank you," Alice replied, thinking she better just go through before anyone else notices her newness.

With her luggage rolling in front of her, she walked briskly towards the brick wall and sure enough she emerged on another platform and immediately noted the steam pouring from the locomotive as well as the change in lighting. Whenever she thought she went back in time, it was more likely she was in the wizarding world. The platform was littered with students and parents, trolleys and caged animals, and the air was filled with excitement as she'd imagine the first day off to school would be. She looked through crowd to try and spot her blond haired beau, who she found near the opposite end, his back was turned to her and he was talking with several students. She began rolling her luggage that way when she was stopped by the porter.

"Miss, you have a ticket?" the rotund gentlemen in a proper uniform asked, holding his white gloved hand towards her.

"Right," she said, pulling the small piece of paper from her pocket.

"Ah, Professor McNally, welcome to the Hogwarts Express. I'd be happy to take your luggage for you," he said politely much to Alice's surprise.

"That'd be wonderful," Alice said. "There's a lot expensive equipment in there, so uh…" She wasn't sure if their packing style was similar to muggles where one suitcase was piled on top of another only after being thrown and knocked about.

"I'll make sure it's put in a safe place. Do make sure to board the train before 11," he said courteously before going off with her piece of luggage.

Without that added burden, she made her way quickly through several students who were obviously catching up after a long summer apart. All were dressed in casual attire, looking more like muggle teenagers than wizarding ones. There were also many parents talking with their younger children, who looked to be going off to Hogwarts for their first time. Boarding school was strange to Alice, having only known public school, but then again many other things were going to be stranger.

Alice tapped on Draco's shoulder lightly, feeling a little awkward interrupting the group discussion.

"You made it," Draco said, very glad to see her even if they had only been apart for few hours; each had to finish packing earlier that morning.

"Had doubts huh?" she joked, as he chivalrously took her heavy shoulder bag and put his arm around her to move her into the group circle.

"Alice, I want you to meet some top students, this is Aston Kingston, Juniper Lighten, Alexander Moderna, Marius Higgins and Elias Zarthy," he said, pointing out the group. "And this is Professor McNally. She'll be teaching sixth years a new course, that means you three," he pointed to a few of them.

There were several polite "nice to meet you's" from the group but before the conversation could progress further, the train's whistle had blown acknowledging the final boarding call.

"Everyone better board," Draco said to the students and then he asked Alice, "They have your bags?"

"The porter took it," Alice affirmed, while walking towards the one car, "You know, I've never been on a stream engine before."

A student near her heard this and replied, "The train actually isn't running on steam, it only borrows its form. It's completely magical."

"I see," Alice replied, surprised but also impressed by this girl's complete answer.

"My name's Sara Jennings," she offered Alice her hand, "I'm a sixth year so I'm really looking forward to your course. I'm muggle-born so I know there's a need for it," she said the last part somewhat hushed.

"Nice to meet you Sara, I'm glad you'll be in my class. You'll have a lot to offer to the discussions we'll have."

As the girl went off with a few friends Draco said to Alice, "See, you already have a promising student." Alice knew he was right, she hoped in the end her class would benefit students like Sara whose background may make them feel like outsiders because it's so misunderstood.

She followed Draco down the corridor to an empty compartment at the end of the middle passenger carriage. At least four adults could fit in it with its plump cushioned benches lining the walls. She was happy to have a place to talk privately on the ride there, since they were the only adults traveling by train.

Draco looked out the window feeling slightly reminiscent of past school days. It was quite peculiar to be back on the train heading to Hogwarts again, despite for a different purpose.

Noticing his daze, Alice asked, "You okay?"

"Just thinking back," he said quietly. Alice realized this trip probably held significance to all Hogwarts students but for Draco, perhaps it was something more.

From the corridor Alice heard an old woman's voice zip by, "Anything from the trolley?" Peering out the window she saw a large cart filled with an assortment of colorful confections, candies and chocolates she probably didn't know any of the names of until some of the students in the room next to them began asking for all sorts from it, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, licorice wands…

"Want anything?" Draco asked amused, seeing her interest as she continued to study the cart as it parked.

"No," she shook her head, slightly embarrassed for staring, "Just never saw wizards candy before." She sat back down in her seat and looked out the window at the rolling green hills.

"Wait here," he said, leaving her for a moment and returning with a few choice items from the cart.

Alice smiled upon his return, eyeing the treats in his hands. He handed her a blue and gold box shaped like a pentagon that said, "Chocolate Frog" on the top.

"Interesting. It's not actually a frog, is it?" she asked somewhat skeptical, not knowing what confections wizards could dream up.

"Just open it," he said all too amused to see her reaction.

Feeling brave Alice broke the seal and lifted the top to have a small brown frog jump out at her, making her leap from her seat. "What the…" The small creature began to hop around the cabin. "Are you supposed to eat that?"

"The jumping only last momentarily, it's just a spell," Draco said through his laughs. "The chocolate's actually pretty decent."

Rubbing her forehead but still intrigued she asked, "What else did you get to surprise me with?"

"Nothing quite as amusing, I'm afraid," he handed her a pumpkin pasty.

"Frightening actually, I'm not use to having my food move," Alice said before taking a bite of the delicious pie. "Is this pumpkin?"

Draco nodded, "Spells can be used on anything and for kids, that sort of thing is commonplace."

Alice began to think about it cross-culturally, "Makes sense I suppose...Oh, I brought us sandwiches from that deli you like near my flat," Alice said, getting out the brown take out bag from her tote.

Draco's eyes lit up knowing exactly what she was talking about, "Perfect."

It would be a few hours before arriving at Hogwarts and from what Alice understood, there would be a welcoming feast in the Great Hall, along with the sorting hat ceremony for first year students and a few opening words from the headmistress. She had yet to meet the other professors, except for Eleanor Chorice and Neville Longbottom, so she was bit anxious to see how well she got along with them. For the rest of the train ride, Draco gave her a rundown of their names, their title and their quirks. He also warned her that several ghosts roamed the castle grounds and to watch out for one named Peeves, who was more mischievous than the others. Alice, who never believed in the possibility of a soul, was disturbed beyond measure by this. Hogwarts was definitely going to be a learning experience.


	39. Chapter 39

_A/N_: Hope you like the direction I'm going in! Enjoy. :)

* * *

The train came to a screeching halt at Hogsmeade Station and the students, now changed into their school robes, filed out onto the torch lit platform. They had already divvied themselves amongst their houses and years and the second through seventh years made their way to the Thestral drawn carriages, while the first years were stopped by Rubeus Hagrid to be taken to the boats to cross the lake. Alice and Draco also made their ways to the carriages ahead of the students so to make it to the Great Hall promptly.

"Are those supposed to be horses?" Alice asked of the strange, black winged beasts pulling the carriages.

Draco was at first surprised that Alice could see them, but then remembered she had witnessed her mother's death as a child. "They're Thestrals, but not everyone can see them."

"What do you mean not everyone? You see them right?" Alice asked slightly concerned.

"Yes, but I've also witnessed death," Draco replied casually. Alice looked at him curiously, somewhat unsure what he meant. "They're invisible to everyone who hasn't."

"Any reasons why that's so?" Alice thought she'd ask, wishing the magical world had more rational explanations for their oddities.

Draco shook his head, "It's uncertain. They're often thought of as bad omens, but they're really harmless creatures."

"They look like something out of the _Nightmare Before Christmas_," Alice said slightly amused to herself while examining the horse's skeletal structure. Before jumping on the carriage she stopped and looked at Draco with a slight smile, "Well, Hogwarts 101 has really started for me."

While students entered the castle through the main entrance hall, Draco led Alice the back way to the staffroom, where the teachers were congregating prior to the student's arrival. The entrance to the room was guarded by two stone gargoyles who upon their approach asked for a password. Draco told Alice to remember the current password and then explained that she would be notified as it changed via post from Headmistress McGonagall. In her head she wondered whether having a key would be easier.

They entered the long paneled room where several of the faculty were lounging in mismatched dark wooden chairs; others were talking to each other in small groups of two or three. Many were dressed in a variety of long robes, some reminding Alice of what she wore to university graduation. Most of the female witches had stylish though stereotypical witch hats on their heads. Alice, dressed in a pencil skirt, tights and a fitted blazer suddenly felt very muggle-like in their company.

"So good to see you two," Neville immediately noted their arrival and went to greet them with a handshake. Internally he was quite happy Hogwarts hired two professors who were around his age, despite one being an old enemy. "How was your first journey to Hogwarts Alice?"

"Magical I guess," Alice said cheerfully while shaking his hand, she couldn't help but feed off his positive energy.

Immediately after this small exchange, Headmistress McGonagall addressed the staff, "Now that everyone has arrived, I'll make a brief announcement before gathering the first years. As you might know we have two new faculty members joining us. Draco Malfoy will be replacing Professor Slughorn's position as Potions Teachers, and Alice McNally will be teaching the new Muggle Studies curriculum to all sixth year students. Please join me in welcoming them to Hogwarts." There was polite applause before McGonagall continued, "On a more technical note, since several course curriculums have changed, there may be some confusion amongst students when they receive their new schedules tomorrow morning. Please be diligent in reminding them that there's no mistake and that they do need to attend those courses."

McGonagall then went to leave the room but first mentioned to Alice on her way out, "The Muggle Studies classroom is equipped with electricity now, as is your office. If you encounter any difficulties please let Professor Chorice know and she'll adjust the spells for you."

Alice expressed her gratitude before the Headmistress quickly raced towards the exit. For an older witch, she had quite a lot of energy in her step, Alice thought. The rest of the staff had risen from their chairs and were preparing to enter the Great Hall to take their seats at the large table at the front. At this time, Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts's longtime gamekeeper, bumbled into the staff room looking quite gruff but overly content.

"Did I miss anything?" his voice slightly echoed through the room as he asked some faculty near the entrance.

Alice whispered to Draco, who had ignored Hagrid's entrance completely, "Why is he so…large?"

Noting who she was talking about, Draco whispered back, "He's a half-giant." Draco's relationship with the games keeper had not improved over the years and he still conceived of him as incompetent.

Alice turned again to look curiously at the half-giant, wondering how large full-giants were if she were to ever to see one. However, her brief glance drew the attention of Hagrid who had not yet met the granddaughter of the wizard he heavily admired for most of his life. Hagrid immediately made his way towards her and Alice hesitantly turned to meet him, worrying that perhaps she offended him in some.

"Well you must be Alice McNally," he said jovially to her, "Was rather pleased to hear you'd be teaching here. Yer grandfather would of liked that."

"Nice to meet you…uh," Alice looked at him quizzically for a name.

"Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts Gamekeeper and former professor of the Care for Magical Creatures," he said proudly. "Would of trusted yer grandfather with me life I would, so if you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

"That's very kind of you, thank you," Alice was impressed with his generosity, then she remembered this was her grandfather's turf and it was an advantageous connection for her.

Draco turned to greet Hagrid as civil as he could though he would have preferred ignoring him. "Hagrid," he nodded.

"Malfoy, see you managed the potions position," his voice didn't sound like it did when speaking to Alice and she picked up on some mild contempt between the two and wondered the background story. "Sad to see ol' Slughorn go," Hagrid added to Alice, "He was a jolly fella, could make yer laugh even on a gloomy day."

Alice agreed, "I've met him, he has a good nature. But I gather he's rather content to be retired."

"I suppose," Hagrid thought, "Will miss 'im though."

"He actually couldn't wait to start traveling again," a middle aged witch dressed in burgundy robes with long black hair interrupted, "Hi, I'm Septima Vector, I teach Arithmancy," she offered her hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you…Arithmancy, that's prophecy through numbers?" Alice inquired, thinking of its Greek roots, but still a bit confused as to what it was.

"That's correct, divination through numerals. Have you tried?" Septima asked.

"No, I haven't," Alice quickly said, never hearing of the subject until today.

"If you're ever interested, my office is on the seventh floor," she said quite serious about the invitation.

"Thanks, I'll think about it," Alice said somewhat curious, but a little skeptical. She again realized Hogwarts did not have ordinary curriculum.

The teachers all left the staff room and filed through the front doors of the Great Hall, which was already brimming with seated students dressed in their black school robes, noisily chatting about their year ahead. Candles were lit and suspended from the enchanted ceiling that looked like it opened to the night's sky. As the teachers entered and walked down the center of the four long tables, the students respectfully hushed themselves. Alice walked behind Draco watching his black robe sway to and fro. The clicking of her heels was probably heard by the students as she passed. She noticed the Sorting Hat was perched on a stool at the front, waiting for the first years. Its creased eyes followed Alice as she stared curiously at it, and it shuffled slightly in its spot when she passed by mumbling, "Yes, a Dumbledore, hmmm interesting." Alice wondered why the hat was still interested in her, even at the interview in McGonagall's office it questioned which house she would have been sorted into. As she sat on a high backed chair at the long front table with the other teachers, overlooking the rows of students, she began to ponder her alternative history. What table would she have sat at? What would her favorite subject be? In what way would that life have ended in tragedy as her grandfather said? These questions seemed more vivid to her now than before. Draco put his hand on her thigh under the table and then gave her a reassuring smile which instantly calmed her. He could tell by her expression that her mind was racing.

It was not long before McGonagall entered with the youthful first years in their plain black robes scurrying behind her, soon to be called one by one to be sorted into their appropriate houses. She could sense the nerves amongst the young ones, though some were brave enough to try and convince the hat to place them in a specific house against its first suggestion. After each declaration, the house's established students cheered their new member to their table, openly accepting them into their family. She wondered whether students had the option to change houses later on, though she assumed such freedoms were less likely when the placement was uniquely divined by a magical object. It was a long process, but for Alice who had never witnessed it before, she was intrigued with each call. After the final student was placed, McGonagall approached the podium to greet everyone, warn all students, especially the first years, to stay out of the Forbidden Forest, alert them to the upcoming Triwizard Tournament, which had been slated to start the following month, as well as introduce the two new teachers.

"…Professor Slughorn has retired his post as Potions Instructor and will be replaced by the very capable and also one of our former substitute instructors, Professor Draco Malfoy…"

Draco stood up and there was a strong eruption of applause from the table on the far right, and Alice noted it was the Slytherin table, making her smile slightly as such loyalty.

McGonagall continued, "And you may well be aware of several changes in curriculum this year. One in particular affects all sixth year students. Teaching this new Muggle Studies course, which is required, no exceptions, will be Professor Alice McNally, who is a descendent of Albus Dumbledore and muggle-trained scholar…"

Alice stood up and looked out on the students before her. They provided a polite applause, though none was coming from the table on the far right. It shouldn't have surprised Alice, though it did suggest her work was to be decidedly more trying with that lot.

"Let the feast begin!" As soon as McGonagall finished, food appeared out of nowhere on the tables before them making Alice slightly jump back in her seat. She hated how magic had the tendency to do that to her. Luckily no one seemed to notice for they were too interested in the food in front of them, except for Draco, of course, who expected this reaction from Alice.

After filling their stomachs, the students were off to bed and the teachers to their offices. Alice was led by Professor Chorice to the fifth floor where both the Muggle Studies classroom and her office were located. Her large suitcase had already been brought up and was sitting beside an intricately carved wooden desk with a stone fireplace behind it. The room was circular, thus Alice assumed she was in a side tower though at this time it was too dark to see what the view was from the windows. She told Professor Chorice that she planned to spend some time setting up her technology since she had a fairly early class the next morning and wanted to be more prepared beforehand. After pointing out the electrical outlets that McGonagall had installed, Alice was left alone in the overly large classroom. She surveyed the dusty musical instruments and outdated mechanical devices lining the side shelves, already feeling overwhelmed by the year's task at hand. "One thing at a time," she thought as she powered on her laptop and unpacked the speakers from her luggage.

She first tested the outlets in the room and was somewhat relieved they powered electricity through them. She then plugged in her wireless PC projector at the back of the classroom next to an old, heavily used manual photo slide projector. She pulled down the projection screen that was rolled up in the front of the class and her face was unfortunately greeted by a far amount of dust. She wondered if that was just from the summer or if it's been out of use for longer.

She flawlessly projected her laptop screen onto the dingy fabric board giving her another sigh of relief. Now her task would be to set up the speakers, which she plugged in at the front of the room. Double checking that her laptop could wirelessly connect with the speakers, she opened up her iTunes and shuffled through songs. Being alone, she left the up-tempo electronic trip hop beats on as she found the hammer and hooks she brought with the intent of hanging the speakers in the front of the classroom. After she pushed a desk against the wall, she removed her heels and stepped up onto it, hammering the hook in and hanging the speaker on it. She would do the same on the other side. With her heels still off she walked to the back of the classroom and tested the sound, using a remote control for the volume. She hoped the sound could project far enough so students in the back could hear.

Little did she know as she was maximizing the volume of her music to ridiculously high levels, that Headmistress McGonagall had stepped into the room, followed by Professor Chorice. There she stood with her back to them, heels off, playing with the volume controls as McGonagall looked disapprovingly at Professor Chorice, unsure of what to say.

"Professor McNally," McGonagall said crisp and clear, trying her best to project her voice over the music without shouting, "Professor McNally," she called again.

Alice's eyes went wide as she realized she wasn't alone anymore, and she turned to face two unexpected visitors. She pushed the stop button on the remote and said a quick and embarrassing, "Sorry, just testing."

McGonagall looked quite stern at that moment, but forewent any condemnation of her rowdiness. "We wanted to know how you were adjusting and I'll assume the electricity installed is adequate."

After having tested the speakers, Alice realized everything was set, "Yes, it's perfect. Thank you for having it set up for me."

McGonagall's beady eyes suspiciously looked at the speakers hung in front of the classroom as well as what was projected on the screen from Alice's laptop. "Here are your class rosters," she handed Alice several pieces of parchment with student's names listed on it. "Absent students should be accounted for, but you should receive a memo prior if it's consented. If it's due to illness it will come from Madame Pomfrey, otherwise the memo can only be sent from their house leader. You can also subtract points from houses as well as add. An individual's achievement or failure is one for the house and points are tallied by our hourglasses. It's perhaps your best bet at discipline before assigning detention. Do you have any questions?"

Alice wanted to ask how the hourglasses recorded the points if she just spoke the words but decided not to. "Not right now, as time progresses perhaps."

"Please let me know," she replied looking again at the projected laptop screen.

Before exiting the door Professor Chorice added, "Feel free to arrange the desks as you please. They're easy enough to put back in line." In the hallway Professor Chorice then whispered to McGonagall, "Well, we never expected her methods to be conventional…"

That evening Alice finished setting up her technology, organized what she brought for her office and was visited by Draco who had been busy doing similar tasks. She admitted to being overwhelmed by everything that day and knew her nerves were palpable. Before heading back home, Draco prepared her a tonic to calm her nerves and provide her better sleep that night. She hesitantly drank it, hating that teaching this class was providing such worry, especially when she had no worries about lecturing at a major university to a class of hundred or so students.

After flooing to the Malfoy's drawing room, then apparating home, Alice immediately felt the need to go to bed, giving little thought to the next morning.

* * *

Dream 1:

"Give it time Alice, you'll fit in just fine," Thomas McNally said lovingly to his daughter on the platform, pushing her hair out of her face.

"I'd still rather go to regular school," she said adamantly, as she clung tightly to her mother's old tattered copy of Darwin's _The Origin of Species;_ a treasured memento that also represented her burgeoning love of science.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for you and with your homeschooling books, you won't miss out on a thing," he said reassuringly, having come to a deal with Dumbledore to have her continue her muggle studies alongside her magical education. "Now off you go," he noticed the time was approaching 11 am and most students had already gotten on the train. He gave his daughter a hug and off she went without another word.

The corridor was lined with first year students making their way to various compartments. Being anti-social and angry about her predicament, Alice looked for any box that was empty; her search would lead her to the next car. As she opened the car door, she blocked the entrance of a blonde haired boy who was followed by two of his friends. One was rather portly.

"Watch where you're going," he said arrogantly, as he sized up the new student's worth. Even if only a second year, he felt utterly superior.

Alice pointed beyond him, saying politely despite his arrogance, "I'm going that way, if you don't mind," and she waited for him to move.

He didn't move and instead laughed amongst his friends, "Where do they find these students?" he said to them.

"Nevermind then," Alice said annoyed, turning the other way, again searching for a place to sit. She found a seat at the other end and buried her nose in her cherished book, hoping not be bothered for the rest of the trip.

Flash forward to the Great Hall, Alice entered amongst the other first years, following a woman dressed in witch attire, which reminded her of Halloween. Up ahead of her was a conical black hat perched on a stool, but it had eyes and it stared curiously at them. Behind it was a long table of her soon-to-be teachers, also dressed in comical robes. Seated in the middle with his long white beard was Albus Dumbledore, her, though only recently known, grandfather. He nodded and smiled at her. She was still skeptical of their relation.

The witch lady called the students one by one to be sorted into their houses and when Alice's name was called she hesitantly climbed onto the stool, still clinging to the book on her lap.

"I see, hmm, interesting, great ancestry, yes, but not interested in it, so not a Gryffindor as those before you. Smart, too smart for your own good perhaps, highly critical. Better be, Ravenclaw!" The hat cried, and Alice had little care where she was sent, despite the cheers of acceptance from her new house's table. She sat on the uncomfortable wooden bench and looked again at her grandfather, who smiled back at her, but her eyes met him with confusion. Was she supposed to be here?

* * *

The alarm sounded, shocking Alice back awake, her eyes fluttering back to reality - a white ceiling, the annoying beep of her clock, and a cool breeze flowing through her open window. She shouldn't have been surprised to have dreamed about Hogwarts, but yet it seemed odd to have such a realistic rendering of the start of her first year. Getting out of bed, she immediately went to her bookshelf to pull out her mother's old book; even its touch brought back good memories. There would be no doubt that if she did leave for Hogwarts at age eleven, she would have carried that book with her. She didn't keep it out of her bag until she started high school, even then it didn't linger far from her desk. Trying her best to leave the strange dream behind and focus on her class introduction, she placed the book back in its place and got ready for her first day.

* * *

"Most of you will be probably be aware of my background," Alice said standing in front of a class of around thirty students. "And while it may seem unusual for students to know more about their teacher than the other way around, I actually find it preferable. You'll know exactly where I'm coming from, my history, my biases, and that is precisely what I want everyone to question this term. Not only me, as your teacher, but your own background and understanding of your world, to question where you get your information from and how you formulate that into opinions. And that's really the point of this class, but of course the topic is one that most of you may have very set opinions on."

Alice decided to start the class with a small experiment, "Now, how many of you claim pure-blood ancestry? C'mon, raise your hands." The majority of the Slytherin students raised their hands with a few from the other houses. "Alright, how many of you are half-blood?" Many more students raised their hands. "And how many of you are muggle-born?" A hesitant few raised their hands, somewhat worried about revealing it to everyone.

"Now, what did I just do?" Alice asked, curious if anyone would answer.

The student she met on the train yesterday, Sara, raised her hand and waited to be called on, then saying, "You divided us into categories."

"Yes, I did; categories which have created too much strife in this realm. You are all old enough to remember the Second Wizarding War, and I do not need to teach you wizarding history to know that these 'categories,' if we want to call them that, have led to numerous prosecutions and deaths because of ideology that puts one above the other. The common thread and the source of this hierarchical notion all stems from a misunderstanding of the source of this difference – muggles, and thus, the topic of this course."

Alice began passing out the syllabus, which she had printed for them at her own expense. There were several pages and the course was broken down by weeks with associated topics and readings they were responsible for. While passing it out, she explained, "Now about a third of you will have taken Muggle Studies prior. For you, the first few weeks should be review as we'll be briefly going on some history. But the brunt of the course will focus on contemporary muggle society." She turned on the screen projector that projected from her laptop the word document of the syllabus. Some students looked at each other, not having seen this technology before. "You'll also notice that the course is broken into lectures as well as discussion points. I don't plan on being the only person talking so everyone will need to contribute and you'll be given a grade for participation. The grading is broken down as follows…" She proceeded to explain the grading structure before going onto course topics.

Looking over everyone's desk, most students had their readers, which had the course articles printed and bound together, taking the place of an ordinary book. McGonagall allotted Alice some extra funding to have them printed beforehand; otherwise she was unsure how they'd gain access to the diverse lot of readings. "Now I see everyone has their readers," Alice made sure students could pick them up in a bookstore in Diagon Alley, "And you've already probably noted that this is not a normal textbook. It's compilation of articles by muggle scholars. You will learn about the source from the source."

"You should also have a copy of_ Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies,"_ a book by Jared Diamond which she also purchased in bulk prior and had available for students at the Diagon Alley bookstore. She looked around to see whether everyone had it. She noticed a large portion of Slytherin students only had readers on their desk and asked, "Who doesn't have a copy?" Several Slytherins hesitantly raised their hands, looking at each other. "Is there a reason why you don't have this book?"

A Slytherin boy had his arms crossed and spoke out for the group, "We didn't want to buy that book."

Alice noted his arrogant tone and asked, "And why did you not want to buy that book?"

The boy looked at his peers, but didn't speak.

Alice added, "There should have been enough copies and I see everyone has bought the reader."

"Our parents wouldn't buy that book," the boy replied, not uncrossing his arms.

"And the reason?" Alice prodded.

Again looking around at his peers before answering, he said, "Because it's a muggle written book."

"Interesting," Alice knew this was the reason, but wanted to hear it from the student. "Funny how they were willing to buy the reader which is a compilation of several muggle authors, but not this one stand alone book. Luckily I have the copies that weren't purchased and you can buy them from me for two galleons. You are expected to finish this book by next week and have written a short essay expressing your opinion on one of the topics discussed."

There was a slight groan from the class which surprised Alice, who wasn't used to such open negative emotions from students. She didn't think it was too harsh of an assignment; two weeks for light reading and a short essay of opinion. In any case, she didn't like the disinterest and decided to continue with a more interactive game making everyone introduce themselves and express one interest along with a reason for that interest and "just because" could not be an answer. Then the person next to them would have to ask them one related question. Wanting to explain the reason she loved science studies, Alice started this session with the anecdote of the same book which appeared in her dream. Then she explained how it belonged to her mother and became more than just a memento, but an introduction into her academic interest. A student then asked, "Why that book?" She briefly explained her mother's profession and how important Darwin's groundbreaking explanation of evolution by natural selection was, and how that book changed everything, especially for the biological sciences.

When going around the room, she realized it was difficult for many of the students to feel comfortable speaking in front of their peers so she knew she would need to do more of these exercises in order to make the discussions livelier. Most students had mundane interests or hobbies, or at least commonplace for the wizarding world with quidditch being near the top. One student mentioned their interest in nature due to growing up in the country, another in drawing when given a brush set as a child. Questions got better with time. Once finished, Alice explained that there are always reasons behind the way we view things. "I may dislike something because of a bad experience in the past. Or I may feel a certain way about something due to certain opinions expressed by a group of friends." It was subtle lesson, but more so it was to get students comfortable with talking and asking questions.

Once the class finished, several Slytherin students bought the book they neglected to purchase prior. A few apologized for not having it. Two students asked about her laptop with one admitting to missing video games and wished he could bring his PC from home despite Hogwarts' policy. Alice wondered how some students straddled the two realms so well, since she was still adjusting to it.

After the lesson she had an hour break and decided to try and catch Draco before his next class. It was her first time venturing the halls of Hogwarts alone. She knew the potions class was taught in the dungeons level so she figured she just had to keep going down the stairs until they stopped. She was partially right, but she had no idea that the Slytherin common dormitories were also located there until she ran into several students sporting green accouterments. Some looked at her suspiciously as she passed and then she recognized a girl and a boy that she met before boarding the Hogwarts Express.

"Aston and Juniper, right?" she asked as she approached them.

"Professor McNally," Juniper acknowledged her, she was Slytherin's head girl and Aston was the head boy.

"I'm looking for the potions classroom," Alice asked for directions without directly asking.

"You're going in the right direction, continue down that hall which will take you to the left viaduct tower, that's where it is," she said while pointing.

"Thank you," she said grateful for her help.

Aston looked at Juniper condescendingly for helping Alice, making her express a curious, "What? I couldn't just mislead a professor?"

Alice found the door and walked into the dank space, the walls were lined with jars of strange tubers, liquids and vestiges, making her think of Chinese medicine vendors. Draco was at a work table and had his back turned to the door, but noting the entrance he spoke stoically, "Questions will have to wait until my office hours."

"When are your office hours then?" Alice asked amused that he thought she was a student.

Glad to hear the familiar voice, he turned his head towards her and they both smiled at each other. As Alice walked through the classroom, she looked at the cylindrical glass jars along the walls before going over to the table where Draco was standing, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"How did your class go?" He asked her while carefully dropping liquid from a vile into a cauldron.

"Better than expected, I think with time students will be more talkative. What are you up to?" she asked, peering curiously into the mixture he was concocting.

"Preparing some example brews for the sixth years," he said, stirring the mixture several time with a glass rod, "I was thinking about you all night, it's going to be difficult spending more time apart."

"I know," Alice agreed solemnly, their schedules weren't exactly accommodating for their relationship, with Alice also teaching and living in London and Draco working full-time at Hogwarts. She planned on moving out of her flat after they were married and relocating to the manor where Draco would spend some of his evenings and weekends. While staying with Draco at Hogwarts was an option, both of them did not want to broach the subject with Headmistress McGonagall until after the wedding, thinking it inappropriate and forward.

That evening, Alice left Hogwarts after her final class and returned home to an empty flat. The three classes she taught went smoothly and now she needed to focus on her lecture for her university course, which started the next day. Trying to forego the yawns, she powered on her laptop and went through her PowerPoint presentation.

* * *

Dream 2:

Alice sat alone at a lab table in Hogwarts potions classroom, cylindrical glass jars lining the walls around her. Looking up she saw a tall man with long black hair, pointed nose and swaying black robes strut into the room, it was Professor Snape.

"McNally, as soon you finish one detention, you start another," he said in a monotone drawl. "Care to tell me why you were reading a book on," he looked in disgust at the muggle book he held in his hand, having previously taken the cover off, "organic chemistry in my class?"

"It's somewhat related," Alice said with hopeful cockiness, having been caught not paying attention during his lecture again.

"Don't jest," he said angrily, "The only reason you've been spared harsher punishment is because you somehow manage to consistently receive high marks. You'll be polishing the first year's cauldrons and after that..."

Before Snape could add to her punishment, the classroom door swung open and in walked Headmaster Dumbledore in elaborate blue grey robes, "That shouldn't be necessary Professor," he said to Snape, "Alice will be serving detention in my office, since this is not her first error this week. Now Alice, if you could kindly wait for me in the hallway, I'd like to talk to Professor Snape alone."

Getting up from her chair, Alice left the room not too hurriedly, glancing back at her book still in Professor Snape's hand. Once outside she kept her ear to the door and listened as closely as she could.

"You continue to overlook these errors," Snape said slightly annoyed to Dumbledore.

"She's obviously bored with her studies. To occupy the mind with alternative information should not be discouraged," he said positively.

"But not during my class," he replied adamantly. "Besides, this arrangement that allows her to study two curriculums isn't sanctioned by the Ministry. Your guilt…"

"It isn't guilt that prods me," Dumbledore interrupted. Snape knew Dumbledore's relation to Alice and the death of her mother which he wished he could have prevented. "It is her desire to learn and while I initially believed it too heavy a load for a child, she has managed perfectly."

"Not perfectly enough," Snape handed him the chemistry book.

In the hallway, Alice soon gave up trying to hear the rest of the conversation, she felt like she heard it before. Instead she walked slightly down the hall and pulled out a spiral notebook to read over the notes she took earlier.

"Detention again McNally?" An arrogant voice said from the other end of the hall. "You'd think they would have you suspended by now."

Alice rolled her eyes and quickly closed her notebook, not being at liberty to let the other students know of her arrangement. "Suspension would be preferable to being stuck here," Alice said annoyed, not looking at the blonde boy who tended to taunt students if given the chance.

"Hogwarts is too first-rate for mudbloods," he was overconfident in his use of the term; many assumed Alice was muggle-born, her relation to Dumbledore was hidden from all but a few.

"First-rate in what? Ignoramuses?" she replied back equally smug.

His eyes narrowed, but before he could croak a reply, Dumbledore left the potions classroom door and asked her to follow.

Alice quickly left to join the wizened wizard's side, glancing back briefly at the slightly older Slytherin student whose face hadn't lightened from his look of contempt. Dumbledore handed Alice her chemistry book as they were walking, saying, "You'll need to be more discrete with these."

"It had a false cover," she replied, happy to get her book back.

"You know what I mean," he said firmly. "Your gift of photographic memory is also your curse Alice. You grow restless with your studies, and while this is understandable you mustn't forget to respect your teachers. By listening and attending classes," she had skipped several this week, "you just may learn something even more valuable than what is in a book."

Alice knew the old man was right, "I apologize for my behavior," she said feeling slightly defeated.

"It isn't me who you should be apologizing to," he replied, giving her a stern look.

* * *

Alice awoke with her face down on her desk, her laptop fan humming nearby, and feeling utterly confused as to why again she had such a vivid dream of being a student at Hogwarts. She tried to rationalize it by thinking, "Well, I did see the potions classroom for the first time today and I remember seeing Professor Snape's portrait several weeks ago in the Headmistress's office." However, there was a feeling of reality to the dreams that worried her, reminding her of when her grandfather would visit her as a child. Luckily, with her busy schedule she had little time to overanalyze and threw herself into her work instead.


	40. Chapter 40

_A/N_: More dreams in this chapter. I made sure to label them to avoid confusion. Lots of love to my reviewers; you guys make me want to write more!

* * *

As with every school term, the weeks fly by and students and teachers wonder where the time went. Alice couldn't believe she had been teaching for over a month and that the weather had changed so dramatically, especially at Hogwarts. The frost on her office window seemed to become more visible each passing day. The school had been actively preparing for the TriWizard Tournament, where they would play host to students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, even throwing a lavish ball to celebrate the event. All seventh years were contemplating who among their peers would be their champion and whether Hogwarts would be victorious in the end. Even without the competition, the effort to promote international wizarding relations made the energy in the halls palpable as they anticipated all the new students who would soon to be among them.

Alice thought her Muggle Studies course was progressing rather smoothly. She had finished her historical overview and began discussing past muggle and wizarding world discrepancies, such as the infamous witch hunts, placing them into modern contexts and connecting them to ongoing stereotypes. Students had become more comfortable raising their hands and adding to the discussion. Slytherin students often had more to say about this terrible history than others, since they knew stories about ancestors who were prosecuted by muggles. Alice encouraged them to share them. Often this was the source of their family's distrust and hatred of them. Most of the time she had the class move the desks into a large circle so students could talk openly about certain subjects. All in all she felt it was a successful first try at this course and not surprisingly she was also learning a lot from her students.

Draco had flawlessly fallen into his role as potions professor, having no issues with teaching, giving detention, subtracting points or disciplining students in the hallway. Alice saw him in action and was even impressed by his sternness. Alice had not encountered many reasons to deduct points and actually felt odd about doing so, especially since she was not fond of the house divisions. During the last group assignment, she made students pair with a member of a different house in the spirit of multi-house cooperation, saying that if the upcoming tournament is boasting of international cooperation than Hogwarts could use more integration as well.

As the tournament approached, Alice worried slightly about encountering Ivar Skramstad, the potions professor from Durmstrang and Mr. Malfoy's supposed business partner. He would be accompanying his school's students to Hogwarts as he mentioned to Draco at the Alchemical Conference in Cairo several months ago. She planned simply to avoid him, even if she admitted to being curious about what Mr. Malfoy was up to. Luckily her relationship with Mr. Malfoy had remained civil. She often encountered him and Narcissa on her way back to London, since she flooed via her Hogwarts office to Malfoy Manor. She would often stop and have afternoon tea with Narcissa. Narcissa was becoming more like family to her, while Mr. Malfoy remained that distant relative who feigned interest in her whereabouts.

After finishing her classes on Friday afternoon, Alice had scheduled to meet with Sybill Trelawney and Septima Vector to discuss her reoccurring dreams. At first, Alice thought she was overworked and that her mind continued to be active at night, making her dream more. After all, she was teaching numerous classes during the week, studying magic on the weekends, and still working on her book during her free time, so it was likely her mind wasn't taking breaks. The first few dreams she had were related in some way to an event or place she encountered that day, such as witnessing the sorting ceremony or being in the potions classroom. Her first hypothesis thus seemed reasonable. But as other dreams occurred she started to realize there were professors and students in them that she had never heard of before, but who were in fact present at Hogwarts during that time. She only knew this after she mustered the courage to describe the dreams to Draco. At first, she neglected to mention that he had a role in them, disliking having been a victim of his bullying and perhaps wanting to deny that it was actually his persona at all in the dreams. But somehow he knew she was withholding this information. It was Draco who urged Alice to speak with Sybill and Septima, whose specialty was well suited to handle the dream world.

Alice nervously walked into Professor Trelawney's classroom to find the frizzy haired woman staring with her round coke bottle spectacles into a crystal ball. Her style reminded Alice of a free-spirited hippie and her classroom's décor followed suit. Dressed in her usual burgundy robes, Septima Vector was also sitting at the same table looking through several number charts she had brought.

"Oh Alice, come in come in, we have so much to discuss," Professor Trelawney said rhythmically, pushing a chair out for her at the table. They had reviewed her dream notes prior to her arrival.

After Alice sat, Professor Vector placed her number charts in front of her. "I began running some of the dates you gave me, your birth, your mother's death, along with some alternatives, like the date you should have started and graduated from Hogwarts. Among all these dates there's a convergence here," she pointed between several numbers, though whatever she was referring to was meaningless to Alice.

"And what does that mean?" She tried asking politely, hoping the revealed information wasn't obvious.

"This, we can assume, is the date Dumbledore changed your future by altering your magical gene, but what is more interesting is that all dates from both pasts line up perfectly," she sounded intrigued.

"What do you mean both pasts? Only one actually exists, right?" Alice asked concerned.

"Well, what we gather," she looked cautiously at Professor Trelawney before continuing, "Is that both your pasts were set as your future when Dumbledore discovered them. He chose one for you, but the other still exists in possibility."

"In possibility?" Alice wasn't sure if she was following.

"Your dreams dear," Professor Trelawney responded highly interested, "They express this alternate future perfectly. When you came to Hogwarts, something sparked these memories to surface. You're reliving your other past in your dreams."

Alice was beyond confused, "But my dreams aren't reality."

"They're the reality of your other past," replied Professor Trelawney, "It's possible the two are trying to reconcile."

"Yes, that is what I assumed too," Professor Vector agreed. "As I mentioned the dates are perfectly aligned from a common start date, so there will be a related end date which will bring them into one."

"But my other future…or past," Alice was confused about what to call it, "It was supposed to have ended in some sort of tragedy, that's why my grandfather altered my direction. Should I be worried about this end date?" Alice thought perhaps this reconciliation sounded ominous.

"During your dreams," Professor Trelawney began to ask curiously, "Do you have control over your actions? Are you yourself, or are you simply in the body of yourself."

Alice blinked, this wasn't exactly a normal conversation, she thought about it deeply before responding, "I can feel that it's me, but I go through the motions without a lot of thought. I'm guided through it as an observer of myself, if that makes sense."

"Hmm, not good, not good," Professor Trelawney scratched her head.

"But I've never tried to do much more than observe," Alice quickly replied, wondering why it mattered.

"It may be time to start trying so that the two pasts don't reconcile in the same way," Professor Trelawney said.

"Are you saying that…" Alice couldn't say what she was thinking.

Professor Vector put a hand on her shoulder, knowing her thoughts, "It's possible."

"But dreams and pasts are malleable dear," Professor Trelawney said excitedly, "You may be able to alter this past in your dreams so that both your current reality and this one will meet at a better common point."

Alice felt like someone was trying to explain the concept of the multi-universe to her for the first time, "So I should try to alter my dreams?"

Professor Trelawney bobbed her head up and down, "See how much control you have over them. With more control, it means this alternate past is weaker and changing it won't take much effort."

"How will I know which direction to take it though?" Alice asked still confounded.

"There will be clues," Professor Trelawney held her hands up in mid-air, "You'll see patterns and you'll be put in situations which ask to be changed…"

Alice left the session still wondering how to alter this past when she didn't even know how or when it actually ended. Her grandfather was vague on the details, especially concerning the tragedy he hoped her to avoid. Of course, Alice believed the tragedy was her death, most likely during the Second Wizarding War. From her dreams, she gathered that the other students assumed she was muggle-born and that they knew nothing of her relation to Dumbledore. Did this information somehow leak to Voldemort? Did she later become a target? So far the dreams had been running in sequence; highlighting some key points from each year but staying in chronological order. She was still in her first few years of school.

Telling Draco what Professor Trelawney and Professor Vector told her made him ultra-concerned and they discussed key events from those school years. This was all circumstantial since Alice had no idea when or who she would dream about next, but having a more detailed history might help. After telling Draco that she believed she was in her third year, which would have been fourth year for him, he told her to expect to the TriWizard Tournament as well as the return of Voldemort. Alice had read about what happened to Cedric Diggory and how the Ministry later didn't believe in Harry Potter's story of the Dark Lord's return. She wondered if she'd dream about the tournament while the current tournament was taking place at Hogwarts. In any case, every time she went to bed, she grew slightly nervous about dreaming even if the dreams didn't happen all the time. Her most recent dream, however, proved that she did have some control over her actions.

* * *

_Dream 3_:

Alice began the dream staring at algebraic equations, recognizing the Pythagorean Theorem on the white page immediately. She had her book propped up on the ledge of a stone windowsill, and as she looked up through the glass window, it immediately caught her reflection.

"Gosh, I need a haircut," was the first thing that came to Alice's mind as she looked at her younger self, and she quickly pushed her long fringe to the side and slightly loosened her blue and bronze striped tie that hung around her neck. It was this moment of self-awareness which allowed her to gather her thoughts before taking any action or before any action came to her. Closing her book she walked out into the school's front courtyard, noting the chill fall breeze even if the sun was shining beautifully that day.

Several students were lounging around, making Alice think this must have been break time. Walking down the open corridor she heard some commotion in the middle of the courtyard and went to see what it was. The voice coming from the top of a tree was all too familiar.

"My father and I have a bet you see, I don't think you're going to last ten minutes in this tournament," the young Draco jeered while jumping down from a tree, he was then followed by four Slytherin boys, who looked on in amusement as their leader mocked someone. "He disagrees, he thinks you won't last five."

Alice noticed he was taunting a younger Harry Potter, who bravely approached Draco and his gang with anger in his eyes. "I don't give a damn what your father thinks Malfoy! He's vile and cruel, and you're all pathetic."

Alice ran onto the courtyard grass, wondering if there would be a fight but Harry walked away from the scene and Alice saw Draco pull out his wand. "He wouldn't," she thought, but before a curse could be said Draco was transformed into a white ferret, the curser none other than Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, who hobbled from a side corridor, his wand happily levitating the ferret through the air, his words chastising him as he went.

Shocked by seeing a teacher abuse his power, Alice forced herself to speak as she ran closer, "You can't treat a student like that!" She felt her hand go to her wand, something she wouldn't normally do.

Moody continued bobbing the ferret through the air, "Technically it's a ferret and don't think of withdrawing your wand McNally or you're next."

"Is that a threat?" she said angrily before noticing that McGonagall had also heard the commotion and was on her way over.

"Professor Moody!" She cried, "What are you doing?"

"Teaching," Moody said unapologetically, still bobbing the ferret up in the air.

"Bullshit!" Alice cried, then pointing at the poor creature, "That's a student." McGonagall's eyes went wide in shock but before she could respond Moody had swiftly placed the animal in the pants of one of his portly companions, making the crowd of students that had formed laugh in delight. Alice and McGonagall seemed to be the only ones concerned. Moody then smugly winked at Harry while another Slytherin boy tried retrieving the ferret, only to get bit on the finger.

Alice felt embarrassment on behalf of Draco, making her again aware of her two selves. Once the ferret exited the leg of boy's trouser, McGonagall promptly transfigured him back.

Spinning back into human form, Draco looked utterly bewildered and disheveled from the experience, worriedly backing away from Moody while yelling, "My father will hear about this!"

Moody began chasing after him screaming, "Is that a threat?"

"Professor Moody!" McGonagall called after him, trying to get him to calm down.

"He's barbaric!" Alice yelled angrily, suddenly making Moody turn towards her instead of pursuing Draco. She glared at him bravely and feeling an odd need to defend Draco she declared, "Now this school's hiring lunatics! What next?"

"I'll teach you to speak to me like that," Moody pointed his wand towards her. Alice retrieved hers quickly and subconsciously deflected the spell he sent, the training from her alternate future kicking in just in time.

"Alastor," said McGonagall in shock, "You just tried to curse another student," she pointed her wand at his face. "We never use transfiguration as a punishment. Surely Dumbledore told you that."

Looking down at her wand he said quietly, "Might have mentioned it."

"You will do well to remember it," she said sternly before turning from him, "And Miss McNally, Professor Dumbledore is expecting you in his office. Try not to cause any trouble on the way there." She then shooed the other students away as well.

Alice received an evil glare from the strange one-eyed man, who she remembered reading about in an historical text but she didn't expect him to be so unconventional. Something was off. She stood in the courtyard momentarily taking in the situation, realizing she had control over this dream. As she walked towards the corridor she overheard students talking of the event and eyeing her as she went by. She assumed it was probably uncharacteristic of her to get involved, especially if it looked like she was defending Draco, who from previous dreams seemed more like her enemy.

As she rounded the corner, she unexpectedly saw Draco and his Slytherin posse off to the side.

"You have some nerve McNally," Draco called to her, there was some rage left in his eyes and he still looked disheveled, even if he had fixed his hair and robes.

Hesitating slightly whether to provide a response, her tongue slipped, "Careful, I may take that as a compliment." Alice then realized this sounded a bit smug and flirtatious, and it was perhaps not the best reply considering.

His eyes narrowed, "You'd think that, wouldn't you. Always self-righteous…"

"And you're not?" Alice interrupted him as she walked closer. "Look, what that one-eyed freak did back there was despicable. At least I didn't laugh at your expense."

Draco silently backed away from her, perhaps noting her sincerity or disgusted by her approach, Alice wasn't sure. She then looked at each of his friends and sensed some awkwardness. "Well," she backed up and lessened the intensity in her voice, "I hope your day gets better."

Alice started back on her previous path down the hall, feeling strange about the encounter and disliking the feeling of being at odds with Draco. She glanced back at him curiously before turning the corner and their eyes met briefly. She wondered why he was always in her dreams and if there was a reason for it.

The scene changed again and Alice was walking up the spiral steps to her grandfather's office, unsure if it was the same day. She felt that she spent a lot of time there and she smiled when she saw the old man with his fists on his waist, looking up at one of the portraits on the upper wall. She always wished she could spend more time with him, though this was an odd way to do so.

"I heard you've been giving Professor Burbage a hard time in Muggle Studies," he said sternly, not looking directly at her.

Alice knew it was one of her elective courses. "It's not my intention to be difficult. I'm only trying to improve what's being taught. It's outdated."

"Fair enough, but that is precisely why you are no longer taking that course," he said turning around. "I think you would be better suited in a different subject."

"But there's nothing else during that period for third years that I'm not already taking," Alice said feeling worried about rearranging her schedule.

"I recently talked about your situation to Professor Moody, he says it would serve you well to sit in on the next level, since you're already quite advanced," he paced in front of her.

"You mean, take fourth year Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Alice asked questioningly.

"You can observe the class for the rest of the term; unless you'd prefer a free period?" His eyebrows were raised slightly, displaying that he'd be surprised if she didn't want to take a higher-level course.

After the previous event, Alice wondered if it would be a good idea to take another one of Moody's courses, but it would seem out of character for her to give up the chance to do so. "No, I'd like the opportunity."

"Good. And another batch of books came from your father. I took the liberty of putting false covers on for you," he pointed to the stack of books on the side of his desk. Alice immediately went to check the title pages. Tugging on his beard slightly, the old wizard continued, "He also writes to make sure you're socializing well."

Alice smirked; definitely sounded like something her father would inquire about at her age, but she didn't reply and was more interested in her book titles.

"Have you been asked to the Yule Ball yet?" He casually asked, again reminding Alice of her father during prom time.

"Of course not, it's only for fourth to seventh year students," Alice replied quickly, knowing very well that she wouldn't have any interest in a dance even if she could go.

"Not if you're asked by someone older," he replied overly interested.

Alice realized she started thinking about Draco, which was certainly an inappropriate thought for her at that time. "No one would ask me," she finally said firmly, shaking off any notions she had.

"Well I thought it was a possibility. Your father's fiancé Jane even sent a catalog of muggle dresses for you to order from just in case," he handed her the book.

Amused that it was a familiar department store catalog of designer brands, she took it and began flipping through its glossy pages. Alice then realized she was the age when her father started dating Jane, so he must have still taken the position in Los Angeles.

Dumbledore smiled, "Perhaps I should be grateful you're not growing up too fast."

Suddenly the scene changed again and Alice was transported to the outside door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. It felt that she had rushed there and she would be walking in late. Opening the large door, she looked in on the rows of fourth year students already seated.

"So good of you to finally join us, McNally. Take a seat," Professor Moody said sternly, not having turned his head to acknowledge her. She wondered if he could see through the back of his head.

All the students turned around as she entered and then looked questioningly at their peers, obviously wondering why a third year was there. She walked quickly to the nearest open seat, which coincidently happened to be the one next to Draco.

"What's a third year doing here?" Ron asked Hermione next to him.

"I don't know, but I hear she's the top student in her year," Hermione whispered back.

"Actually before you sit," Moody said not turning around from the chalkboard, "Take out your wand."

Alice's eyes narrowed at him as she purposely threw her heavy bag on top of the desk, making a loud clunking noise. Draco, who was not amused when she stepped in the class, looked up at her in disgust. She nonchalantly retrieved her wand from inside her robe.

Moody swung around and threw a curse at her, and she quickly deflected it, feeling like it was second nature. He sent another, and Alice deflected it again and then counter cursed with a quick "Expelliarmus," which knocked his wand out of his hand.

Mad-Eye began laughing hysterically, "Perfect form, and from a third year no less! There's some talent in the ranks below you."

The students who were just starting to learn these defensive spells were spellbound by this demonstration. Alice remained in her stance, worried Moody would try something else.

"Oh sit down McNally, your time to shine is over. Now don't cause me any problems or this arrangement is over," Professor Moody said annoyed before taking a quick swig of a flask he pulled from his pocket.

Alice plopped herself in the chair and took out her new fourth year D.A.D.A book. She looked over at Draco's book, trying to gage what page they were on but he glared hatefully at her, covering his book's page number with his hands.

"What page?" she asked him quietly, but he ignored her. Annoyed by this reaction, she quickly grabbed his wrist to move his hand, glancing quickly at the page number below it. Being forwardly touched by Alice shocked Draco, and he quickly grabbed her one wrist, squeezing it hard. Trying not to overreact, Alice managed the pain and used her other hand to open her textbook, playing like nothing was wrong. She then looked at him and smiled sweetly, hoping it would make him feel foolish for continuing to touch her. Her ploy worked and he released her.

From the chapter heading, Alice knew the class would be review, since she went over this text well over a month ago with Draco, her Draco. She looked once more at the textbook the younger Draco was using next to her, thinking it strange that it was that same text she had on her desk in her future. After class wrapped, several students lingered in the hallway outside, many gave Alice strange stares as she exited.

"What's a third year doing in a fourth year's class?" A Gryffindor student named Seamus Finnigan stood in front of her with his arms crossed, purposely blocking her route.

"Obviously progressing faster than you are," Alice said not too cheerfully. She was surprised how smug she acted at Hogwarts, even if she was encountering a lot of hostility from her peers.

"Leave her alone," Hermione butted in, "You've definitely progressed further than most of us. How did you do it?"

"I read the book," Alice said casually with a smile, then glancing at the rest of the students who stood there, "Look, I'm just filling an open period for the rest of the term. My apologies if that bothers you." She decidedly turned and walked quickly away from the crowd, feeling a bit dejected by the situation. She was reminded of her high school days and being one of the few younger students placed in higher level courses. At least in that situation, she wasn't alone. Here, class and house loyalties seemed a lot stronger, almost tribal like. Alice started to wonder if she had any friends at this school and she suddenly felt sorry for her alternate self.

Turning the corner she was swung around by a strong hand on her shoulder and she was shocked to see it was Draco who had waited for her there.

"Don't ever touch me," he said sneeringly, but Alice had little fight left in her this time. She looked at him regretfully, her mind asking the questions she couldn't speak aloud. Who was this Draco before her and why does she continue to encounter him? Should she fight through his armor of anger? Was that her purpose in these dreams?

"I'm sorry," she finally said, breaking her awkward staring, "I've been having one of those days." She smiled slightly, wondering if he'd even bother to respond to her self-pitying.

"You're an odd one, McNally," he said, his eyes still looking on her in disgust.

"I know," she said solemnly, "Not like anyone here is normal anyways."

"What's that suppose to mean?" He asked with contempt in his tone. Despite this, Alice was surprised he was continuing the conversation with her.

Alice smiled, shaking her head slightly, "Normal is difficult to gage I suppose, subjective at best. My normal has nothing to do with Hogwarts or magic. But that's the problem isn't it?"

He scoffed, "Mudbloods like you don't belong here anyways."

"You say that word as if it's an insult. You're too blind to see that I'm just as proud of my family as you are of yours. It'd serve you well to try and live without the ideology for once. You'll find the world's a much nicer place."

Before he could respond, he was being waved down by none other than Pansy Parkinson, who Alice immediately recognized from her pug nose.

"Draco, you busy?" she said suspiciously, only after giving Alice an evil glare.

"Just leaving," his eyes were intent on Alice's a moment longer and she thought she saw a glimmer that he was contemplating what she said.

But then she woke up, his grey eyes still ingrained in her memory.

* * *

That evening Draco and her discussed the entire dream during dinner.

"You did what?" Draco asked surprised.

"I blocked Moody's curses, really, just like you taught me," Alice was proud that her magical skills were jumping realities. It was the one light point in their conversation before discussing the other issues she encountered.

"For a third year, that must have been pretty impressive," Draco said amused.

Alice smiled but then changed the subject and her tone, "You know, I never knew just how equally bullied you were."

"I brought it on myself," Draco replied, "I would have cursed Potter if given the chance." He remembered his version of the ferret episode clearly, having been slightly traumatized by it at the time. "The fact that you have to deal with that version of me, it's…"

"Embarrassing?" Alice asked.

"Upsetting," he replied. "I was an awful person back then and even if it's not exactly me, I don't like to know that you're being treated that way. Especially if it's believed you're muggle-born."

"Well, like now, I can hold my own, even against you," she smiled while pushing his chin up making him smile. "The strange thing was, I was continually pushed in your direction. Professor Trelawney said there will be patterns, clues for what needs to be changed. What if there's a reason you're always in my dreams."

Draco looked at her searchingly, "Perhaps you need to change our alternate relationship in order to reconcile these two pasts."

Alice was thinking along similar lines, "I just don't know how."

"You'll find a way," he said encouragingly while lovingly pushing some fallen strands of her hair behind her ear. "The good news is you have more control over your dreams so it can be changed." He then said resolutely, "I'm going to tell everything I can remember from that time."

"You don't have to," Alice felt odd if she knew too much about him.

"I need to," he said assuredly, "How else will you fight this?"

Draco spelled out his remaining years at Hogwarts, and Alice listened closely, not knowing which pieces of information would be pertinent to her. She learned of his personal relationships, his worries, the classes he found difficult and easy, where he spent his alone time, his quidditch victories and losses, his daily routine, as well as the students he regularly bullied. Luckily he felt more removed from this past than before, like he had finally come to grips with his appalling behavior. If asked, he would say Alice helped him fully move away from it, which made it ironic that she now had to deal with the boy he had distanced himself from.

After finishing his anecdotes, Alice said to him sincerely, "No matter what happens, I can never think of you badly."

It made all the difference to hear her say that.

* * *

The TriWizard Tournament began with a huge feast in the Great Hall, thrown to welcome the two faraway schools to Hogwarts. Alice attended the celebration to watch the short performances: the beautiful young ladies from Beauxbatons in their blue dresses pranced down the center aisle and the young men from Durmstrang shook the floor with their batons. Ivar Skramstad was there, already making Alice feel uncomfortable by his presence. Her brief glance was returned by a disgusted sneer. He seemed delighted to see Draco, however, giving him a solid hand shake and already asking about a new potion he was concocting. Alice knew these visitors would only stay the month, so she tried not to turn it into another worry in her life.

Alice greeted Olympe Maxime in French, who was the headmistress of Beauxbatons and also a half-giant. She surprised the amazingly tall lady with her fluent speech. If anything, this tournament gave Alice an opportunity to practice the French language, which she only got to use during her few travels to that country. This ability, however, made Alice a go-to professor for many of the Beauxbaton students, and she was often asked questions by the girls in the hallways about proper uses of English or how things were done at Hogwarts. She always did her best to answer, though she was still a Hogwarts novice herself.

The Goblet of Fire was lit during the ceremony and students were already submitting their names for the tournament. During a break period, Alice stood and watched the excited students proudly throw their name cards in, hopeful that they would be chosen to represent their school. They had still imposed a seventeen or older age limit on the games, thinking it too dangerous for anyone younger to participate. She had learned more about the past games than she would have needed to except for it being necessitated by the dreams. She was shocked to find out from Draco that the Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody she encountered was actually a Death Eater named Barty Crouch Jr., disguised with the help of Polyjuice Potion. She wondered if there was a reason he proposed to Dumbledore to have her sit in on his class. Did he suspect her relationship to Dumbledore or was it pure coincidence? She wasn't sure.

It had been a few nights since her last dream so each evening she grew a little more apprehensive about sleeping. She knew she couldn't avoid it, though it didn't make it any easier to go to bed. Then one weeknight the dream came.

* * *

_Dream 4_:

"Only one book in your possession at a time this year Alice," Dumbledore said while levitating part of her muggle textbook stack to the upper shelves of the wall that enclosed the circular space of his office. "The Ministry is interfering with Hogwarts and if it's discovered that you have alternate studies, well, you will not be allowed to keep even one."

"I understand," Alice said solemnly, clutching onto her high school physics textbook. "Grandfather, should I be worried about Voldemort?" She said his name without flinching.

"It would serve you well not to involve yourself with this concern. Lay low this year, focus on your studies, do not overstep your bounds, no matter what offers you are made." It sounded like he was making this ultimatum out of foresight.

Suddenly the scene changed and Alice felt cold air fill her lungs as she looked out onto the serene landscape in front of Hogwarts, the calm lake looked like it was almost frozen over from the onset of winter. It was a crisp day, the sun was shining, but the air was extremely chill and snow lay on the mountains beyond her. She felt the heaviness of her wool coat and she immediately touched its collar. It was the same coat she owned when she was fourteen, a black Burberry pea coat picked out by Jane during their first "family" trip to London, after her and her father got married. Despite their rocky start, Jane would introduce Alice to the fashion world and, according to her father, create a shopping monster.

Alice also realized she wasn't wearing the school's uniform, but a pair of black tights and a short black jumper dress she use to adore. She looked around apprehensively. She was on the outer edge of Hogwart's front courtyard and several students were passing by her also dressed in casual clothes. It was Saturday and students had leave to go into Hogsmeade. She realized she was waiting there for someone, but she wasn't sure who.

"Shall we go?" A soft voice asked her. It came from a pale girl with long blonde hair. It was Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw who was in the same year as Alice. "I always loved this time of year. I wonder if it will snow today." She looked questioningly at the sky before looking at Alice.

Alice realized they had something in common; both lost their mothers at a young age, were raised by their fathers, and they initially bonded over their ability to see Thestrals when not many could; though their similarities seemed to stop there. Luna was a free spirit and often fixated on things that lacked even more reason than most magical musings. Alice could sense that they were both outcasts amongst their peers, but for different reasons. She walked alongside her, knowing they were headed to meet Luna's friends, which were members of the Gryffindor House; the Golden Trio as they became known.

"I hope you don't mind meeting them in the Three Broomsticks, they're weary about discussing such topics in the school halls," Luna said calmly.

"That's fine," Alice replied, assuming this was a topic that Umbridge would not approve of.

Alice was grateful to enter the warmth of the pub but her ears had to adjust to the chatter of the numerous students which filled it. She followed Luna over to a side booth where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. Their butterbeer mugs were already half emptied.

Ron looked suspiciously at Alice, making her wonder more about her alternate self's reputation. Removing her coat before sitting, Hermione immediately noted, "I like your coat. Is that Burberry?"

Alice remembered she was muggle-born, "Yes, but please don't think I'm a pretentious snob!" Alice said quickly, while looking around at whom else was in the pub, "I had much humbler beginnings." She noticed she had walked by a table that Draco was at with Pansy and few other Slytherins. One looked to be a young Blaise Zabini. Draco looked at her briefly before noting who she was about to sit with.

"Bur-what?" Ron asked, "Is that some sort of plant?"

"Nevermind," Hermione rolled her eyes before turning back to Alice. "We asked Luna to bring you here because, well," her voice grew hushed, "The situation at school continues to get worse. Umbridge refuses to teach us defense and with things that have been happening outside Hogwarts…"

"You mean the return of Voldemort," Alice queried.

"You accept that he's back then?" Harry finally spoke; he had been sitting with his arms crossed the entire time, still uncomfortable with Hermione's plan to eventually form an army.

"I know he is," Alice said to him assuredly, "But what does this have to do with me?"

Hermione spoke again, "We saw your abilities last year, you know things we haven't been taught yet, and with Harry and you teaching us defense we can…" She was unsure how to word this proposition.

Alice quickly spoke, "I apologize, but I can't get involved with your plan."

"Why can't you?" Hermione questioned her surprised, "We thought you of all students would want to undermine Umbridge and all she stands for."

"There's personal reasons," Alice felt remorseful about turning down their offer, but something told her to heed her grandfather's warning. Perhaps she did get involved before and it put her in harm's way. "I respect what you're trying to do and hope you're successful, but I just can't be a part of it."

"I had a feeling we couldn't trust you," Ron said forcefully.

"It's not a matter of trust Ronald," Hermione chastised him, "I'm sure she has valid reasons." She looked at Alice searchingly, hoping she would explain.

"I'm very sorry," she felt the need to apologize again before grabbing her coat to leave.

"It's alright, at least you believe me," Harry said as consolidation.

Alice nodded, "I do, which is another reason I can't be involved." Before she walked away from them, she said sincerely, "Good luck." She hoped this was the right decision though she hated how cowardly it made her feel.

As she made her way to the door, Draco jeered, "Making new friends McNally?" Suddenly all eyes of the Slytherins at his table were on her.

"Not today," Alice stopped and then said contemptuously, "Never could get along with Gryffindors anyway." She played into his contempt for the House, perhaps even surprising members of the table with her words. She wondered why he was concerned, or whether this was just another reason for him to make jest at her expense.

Blaise started snickering, perhaps finding these words from her amusing or maybe laughing at his friend's interest in talking to the girl. Draco just furled his brow at his noise.

"Something funny, Blaise?" Pansy asked him.

"Nothing in particular," Blaise said stopping himself.

Pansy then looked at Alice condescendingly, "You can leave now." She was particularly annoyed that she was even called over to their table to begin with, especially by her boyfriend.

"With pleasure," Alice said cockily, "I'd rather walk through a blizzard than endure your company." She looked at Draco again; he had crossed his arms and averted his eyes, resolute in not acknowledging her again.

As Alice continued for the door, she was surprised by her own words. She wondered if she often played the bitch, despite finding her cockiness mildly empowering. She did have a sharp tongue since she was little, but she was hardly this confrontational.

As soon as she grabbed the door knob the scene changed again, and the doorway she was passing through was the one from the Great Hall. Looking behind her, she noticed a multitude of hanging framed decrees, a visible remnant of Umbridge's takeover of the school.

Alice stopped briefly, taking in this display of dictatorship. It was just like Draco said it would be; everyone had little freedom beyond their duties as students. By the number of them, it must be well into the takeover. Alice realized she had not been reprimanded yet and that she must have lain low as her grandfather suggested.

"Skipping class are we, McNally?" Alice heard the familiar voice behind her and she turned to meet the young Draco. She noticed his Inquisitorial Badge was displayed proudly on his robe. "I should report you just because."

"Desperate to kiss more ass?" Alice joked as she began walking away from him, but he followed her. Somehow she knew he would; she continued to wonder why he was so interested in taunting her. She added, "Besides, I've been a role model student this term, Umbridge wouldn't believe you."

"I could make something up," he said assuredly.

"You could," Alice stopped and looked him in the eyes questioningly, "But why would you?"

He didn't respond immediately, perhaps caught off guard by her seeking an answer for his interest in giving her problems.

Alice continued before he spoke, "If I didn't know any better Draco, I'd assume that you just like keeping me company." It was an embarrassing insinuation to make and it did not make Draco look at her any kinder. "I don't mind," Alice said playfully, "But you could try to start the conversation with a simple 'hello' next time."

"Why you filthy little…" He started.

"Mudblood?" Alice interrupted. "You should really find another insult for me or better yet, just settle for calling me Alice."

"How dare you tell me what to do?" He said angrily.

"Suit yourself, I actually don't mind your company," Alice said sincerely before leaving him angry and confused, thinking the conversation could have the adverse effect of making him avoid her altogether.

As she walked down the empty hall, the dream shifted another time and she turned the corner to witness Filch and several members of the Inquisitorial Squad escorting students. It was Harry and his makeshift army. Draco had Cho Chang by the arm, Filch held tight to Harry and Hermione by the shoulders. Dolores Umbridge was overseeing the entire process and suddenly noticed Alice's appearance.

"Is she involved?" Umbridge cried to the members of her squad, pointing a finger at Alice who had come that way to search for a quiet nook to study in.

Before any of his companions could speak, Draco raised his voice, "She isn't." He gave Alice a quick glance before forcefully moving Chang down the corridor with the rest of the students.

"Well go back to your dormitory, or I'll have you cited!" Umbridge yelled at her and Alice quickly turned the other way, holding her muggle book close to her chest. She was surprised that Draco didn't do what she expected he would. The last thing she felt before waking up was her heart beating heavily under her chest.

* * *

Alice awoke to the sound of her alarm clock, which she swatted accidentally off her nightstand. But she didn't care as it crashed to the floor because during this dream she felt she had made progress in some sort of sensible direction. She smiled at the dull ceiling above, wondering whether this was enough to settle the two pasts or would more still come. She wondered how she would know. If anything, it gave her hope that she could control whatever this past had in store.


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: Sorry about the delay. Life is getting busy again and these might become more sporadic. A big thank you to all my lovely reviewers for keeping me going. :)

* * *

It was a Thursday and while Alice typically lectured at the university, the school was on holiday, thus she had a free day to accomplish other pending tasks. This made her think that perhaps this weekend her and Draco could simply relax and enjoy each other's company; something they had little time to do lately. After writing down notes from the previous night's dream, she planned to run a few errands around town. These included the mundane muggle experience of grocery shopping, dropping off some clothes at the laundry matt, and multi-realm banking, since she had to exchange her Hogwarts paycheck from galleons to pounds before depositing it and paying that month's rent which was almost overdue. Afterwards she planned to head to Hogwarts to spend the afternoon grading papers in her office. She found the archaic space rather conducive to getting work done. The windows never ceased to provide enough light during the day and the fireplace could heat the space much better than her flat's central heating. There was also no annoying buzzing sound from fluorescent lighting, which she only recently became aware of since utilizing the space.

On her way to Hogwarts she ran into Mr. Malfoy in the manor's drawing room, who probably wasn't expecting her to enter on that day of the week. The table he was sitting at was littered in paperwork and Alice assumed it had something to do with his varied investments. He looked up at her with obvert annoyance, his reading glasses perched ever so slightly down his nose. Alice immediately apologized for the intrusion, feeling for the first time that this arrangement wasn't really the ideal solution for her travel to and from Hogwarts.

"I suppose you'll be living here in a few months time anyways," he replied in one breath, thinking he might as well get use to it. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching a class of muggles today?" Alice could note the irritation in his voice.

"The school's on holiday and I was hoping to finish grading these in my office," she held up a heavy canvas tote filled with essays from her university students, one hundred and fifteen in total.

"I see," he said disinterested, looking back down at his paperwork.

"I had a question, Mr. Malfoy," Alice asked a little hesitant, walking closer to him.

He looked at her with the same _leave-me-alone_ expression on his face. Alice expected this reaction, but continued, "Ivar Kramstad is currently at Hogwarts. Should I be concerned?" Alice had not gotten the opportunity to ask Mr. Malfoy this question when he was alone, and it remained on her mind since she heard the man would be at Hogwarts for the TriWizard Tournament.

Lucius slowly removed his reading glasses before speaking, "Has he given you reason to be?"

"No, but…" Alice started but she was interrupted.

"Then there's no need to worry," his eyes turned back to his paperwork.

"He's quite curious about Draco's research, I hope the interest is an honest one," she replied.

Lucius seemed to be contemplating this before responding to her, "Try not to get involved Alice, Draco can take care of himself."

"That 's not very reassuring," Alice said while stopping on the opposite side of the table from him. "I'd hope you'd warn him."

"If I was at liberty to I would," he said angrily, "It's more complicated than you think. My best advice is keep your mouth shut and if possible, completely avoid the man."

Concern still gleamed in Alice's eyes but she had to accept this explanation for now. She nodded before continuing to the fireplace.

"Alice," he called to her before exiting, "Do tell Draco that you both are expected at dinner Saturday night." Narcissa had requested he send an owl post to Draco but with his paperwork he hadn't yet gotten around to it. With Alice there, it would be one less thing to do.

"Will do, Mr. Malfoy. Have a good rest of your day," she said pleasantly; glad to end the conversation on a less intrusive note, though she still wasn't sure whether to be concerned about Kramstad.

Alive arrived at Hogwarts at a time when Draco should have been taking his afternoon break. Hoping to catch him with time to spare, she threw her tote bag on her chair and quickly made her way down to his office residence, hoping to tell him about her past dream and also their dinner invitation. After walking these same hallways in her dreams, they seemed more familiar. It was as if she took on the memories of her alternate self and thus that life's familiarity. It was only a subtle difference she felt, but one none-the-less.

She knocked on the heavy wooden door of Draco's office, which previously was Slughorn's abode. There was no answer. This made her think he may have stayed in the potions classroom during his break, either to do prep work or meet with students. Making her way to the dungeons, she was greeted by several of her students and a few younger ones who were not taking her class but still managed to make her feel welcomed by their recognition. It was still new for her to be working with teenagers, but she ended up treating them the same as she did young adults.

The classroom door was slightly ajar and she didn't hear any conversation coming from within, so she assumed Draco was alone. Instead, she found Ivar Kramstad sitting at Draco's desk, reading several papers that lay in front of him.

This unexpected encounter made Alice at a loss for words, making her neglect a proper greeting. She looked around again to see if Draco was in another part of the classroom.

"It's astonishing that they hired someone as inexperienced as you," he said condescendingly, shuffling his papers before laying them face down before looking at her.

"What?" Alice said confused on both accounts, of Draco's absence and his insult.

"I'm assuming you're looking for Draco, he's away for the day," Kramstad replied, not providing any details.

"And why are you here?" Alice asked suspiciously, suddenly wondering if there was a reason he didn't want her to see the papers he was reading.

"Covering for him, obviously," his patronizing tone made Alice feel quite inferior at that moment.

Remembering what Mr. Malfoy said, Alice decided to leave the conversation at that, "Well, sorry to have bothered you." She quickly headed for the door; she had already started feeling weary about being alone with him.

It was not until she made it back to her office that she could breathe easily again, though she still had no clue why Draco was gone. One minor set-back to Hogwarts was their inability to use mobile phones on the premises, something she missed dearly. She even pulled her phone out to check if there were any messages left unread. None. Of course, Alice's encounter could have been avoided if she just checked the top of her desk to find a letter left by Draco before she ran to meet him. Feeling completely daft, she hastily sat herself down and opened it.

_Dearest,_

_I knew you'd be at Hogwarts today, but I was unsure of the time, so I hope this letter finds you sooner than later. I was unexpectedly called to St. Mungo's this morning. My elixir was given to a misdiagnosed patient and had adverse effects. Hopefully I will be back before you retire for the evening._

_Yours,_

_Draco_

Her eyes lingered a moment longer on his overly neat cursive and she placed her hand under her chin as if her head was suddenly too heavy to hold up. Emotionally she was all over the place and hated the insecurity and uncertainty of her current situation. Missing this letter reminded her that she again needed to slow down. She steadied her breathing and meditated; a routine she regretfully fell out of since the trial. Everything was complicated right now, this realm provided layers of confusion to her life and she wondered how she'd be able to navigate it. She reminded herself that her grandfather thought she was ready for this; otherwise he would not have lifted the enchantment. With her mind cleared she reverted to normality, which at this moment was the never ending task of a teacher, grading papers. She was determined to whittle away the pile before Draco returned. She smirked when starting her first essay, thinking she found something preferable about muggle society: the use of typed print. It at least saved her eyes and brain from having to decipher messy handwriting. Though it didn't save her students from having to decode the comments she scrawled in red pen in the margins.

Draco returned several hours later and he was grateful Alice was still in her office. Alice could tell he had quite an unexpected day and she quickly got up and embraced him after he entered the door. This simple gesture seemed to allow both of their worries to float away. Luckily he was able to administer an antidote to the misdiagnosed patient, but he had to stay for several hours to observe the progress since he was unsure of the needed dosage. Alice then told him about the dinner on Saturday and finally about her most recent dream. Draco didn't expect her to move so rapidly through the school years and with his fifth year completed, next would be the year he attempted to murder her grandfather. Though Alice had made progress with their alternate relationship, Draco would go through incredible changes that summer prior to his sixth year. He was not the same confrontational bully he was before and spent a lot more time alone. He was concerned that he may have used Alice in one of his schemes, perhaps instead of Katie Bell she was the one tasked with taking a cursed necklace to Dumbledore. He spelled out these speculations to Alice and told her to be cautious around him. He was a Death Eater and probably would want little to do with a muggle-born witch.

Alice would not have another dream until Friday night.

* * *

_Dream 5_:

Alice stepped onto the dimly lit train platform in Hogsmeade village, still feeling groggy and disoriented. She had fallen asleep on the ride there and barely woke up when the train came to a screeching halt; partially the music from her headphones muffled the jarring sound. She had been traveling since yesterday morning, having literally walked off an airplane and onto a train. The worst of the jetlag was yet to come she was sure. She spent the entire summer in Los Angeles with her father and Jane, attending summer intensive courses and taking driver's education. She hoped to pass her driver's exam next summer after she turned sixteen. Returning to Hogwarts had also become somewhat of an issue. Her father was even unsure whether to let her go after hearing from Dumbledore about the unstable situation in the magical realm. But Alice insisted on continuing her education no matter the circumstance, especially since the O.W.L.S. were that year.

Even on the platform she could sense that this year would be different for all students. The amount of security around Hogwarts had significantly heightened. There were guards nearby pacing menacingly and every student would have their luggage checked and cleared at the gates before entering the school grounds; something Alice did not find out about until she was on the train. This was another reason why she lingered behind and waited for the Thestral-drawn carriages to leave ahead of her. She had several muggle items in her luggage and preferred if students didn't know about them, especially since they would probably be pulled out and confiscated. She had also tucked her compact disc player into her handbag since technically they weren't supposed to bring electronic devices onto school grounds. She futilely hoped they wouldn't search it. Leaving out a sigh, she noted how she already felt frustrated about this year.

By taking her time walking the carriage route, she entered the gates after most students had already cleared security and left to enter the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick stood just beyond the entrance and asked for her name, which was odd considering he was the head of her House. His job was to mark students off his list properly and he made no excuses for the strange inquiry. Filch would be going through her baggage which made Alice particularly uncomfortable. Her luggage sat there in front of him, along with a few chests belonging to other students who had not yet arrived from the train. As soon as Filch popped her luggage open, none other than Draco Malfoy entered the gates behind her. His sudden appearance again made her aware of her purpose in this dream world. Their encounter was not coincidence, but the timing could have been better as Filch pulled out several large S.A.T. and A-Level textbooks which she purchased to start preparing for the extremely important exams. Like in her real past, she still had plans to attend a muggle university. Not the best time to display her muggle ambitions, she thought, as Draco walked closer to them.

"What is this? Kaplan's SAT Strategies…" Filch began reading the tome's title, "Some sort of dark magic textbook?"

"Of course not," Alice scoffed, "It's for a test I need to take."

"Muggle textbooks by the looks of it. Unnecessary items," he said, literally throwing them to the ground making Alice cringe.

Alice crossed her arms and silently hoped he wouldn't find her compact discs that she tucked in between her clothes.

Draco was indeed waiting close behind her; hearing every word of the conversation. As Filch finished, he asked, "Now give me your bag, gotta check everything."

His hand went to the handbag on her shoulder, which she then bitterly handed to him. He immediately pulled out the tattered book that belonged to her mother.

"I swear, if you throw that," she threatened. But before he did anything with it, he spotted her CD player that had the headphones still attached.

"What are you planning to do with this?" he looked at the round silver device slightly bewildered, but suspicious none-the-less.

"I was going to kill someone with music, obviously," Alice said in all seriousness, knowing she was being a smartass.

As she said this, out of the darkness appeared Professor Snape, his dark eyes inspecting the items Filch had confiscated. "McNally should be aware that electronic devices are prohibited on school grounds."

"Must have slipped my mind," Alice said brazenly.

"Nice way to start the year McNally, five points from Ravenclaw," he said unapologetically.

Alice breathed in the air instead of replying, simply smiling it off. The point system was something she cared so little about.

When Filch stopped scrimmaging through her bag, she forcefully grabbed it back from him. Looking disheartened at her pile of confiscated items and then back to Filch and Snape, she said, feigning politeness, "I'd appreciate if those were returned to me prior to winter break." But they provided no reply, and Snape simply crossed his arms and looked at her in disdain.

Before storming away, Alice turned to look at Draco, giving him a slight smile and saying sarcastically, "So wonderful to be back at Hogwarts." His eyes simply acknowledged her and she could sense anger in them, not at her per say, but from another situation altogether. If anything, they both weren't thrilled about beginning the school year.

As she walked toward the school's darkened front courtyard, the scene changed and she found herself lounging in Dumbledore's desk chair as she waited for him to return from a quick meeting with McGonagall. She was reading _The Standard Books of Spell, Grade 5_, memorizing what would probably be a month's worth of learning. The first day of school had just finished and she was looking forward to catching up with her grandfather after several months away. She had brought him a huge box of his favorite chocolate covered sea salt caramels and placed it on the desk in front of her.

He returned minutes later, and Alice got up to give him a big hug. "Every summer you grow taller it seems," he said adoringly.

"I missed you grandpa," she said, realizing externally that this year would be their last. "I brought you something," she presented him the gold foil wrapped box.

"How did you know?" he said mischievously.

"I had a hunch," Alice smirked, then she realized his hand looked mangled and blackened. "What happened?"

"Oh this?" His tone seemed to shoo off any worry coming from her. "A very thrilling tail, but not for your ears my dear."

"I know you want to protect me, but…"

"We've discuss this Alice, these are dangerous times, especially for someone like you. I understand your desire to return to Hogwarts, but don't think I didn't consider against it. That's why I must ask of you the same as last year, to not get involved."

"Yet, you encourage Potter to," she replied bitterly; she felt slightly jealous of their relationship.

"That's a different situation," he said firmly. "Your path is not his. You will fight a war of words, not of wands. To get there you need to stay focused on your studies. Which reminds me, Professor Snape brought these by." Her college entrance exam textbooks appeared on his desk.

"He knows?" Alice asked concerned, not thinking anyone knew of her blood relation.

"One of the few that does," he assured her, "Our secret is safe Alice as long as you're cautious. But this," he held up her CD player, "You know better." He looked at her disapprovingly but a sparkle remained in his eyes.

Alice could sense he wasn't mad at her; he never really could be, even with all the minor squabbles she got into with teachers and students. "I used it on the plane and since Aunt Marla and Uncle George are on holiday, I had nowhere to stash it."

"I'll let you have it before you return home for Christmas," he conceded. "Now there's one other thing you must know. I'll be away more often this year."

Alice looked at him concerned.

"You don't have to worry," he said encouragingly, "But if you get yourself into trouble, you are at the mercy of your punisher."

Alice knew this meant he wouldn't be able to bail her out as he often did. She nodded and her dream shifted to where she was strolling the wide sunlit hallways of the school. It was still the first week of classes and she just started her lunch break. She realized she was holding her mother's book and that that day was the anniversary of her death. She wasn't sad per say, but more reminiscent of the loss she felt each year at that time. Not feeling like eating lunch, she was headed to the outside courtyard to be alone. Before she cleared the walkway, however, she fell face-first to the stone floor beneath; her shoes had completely lost their grip on its surface. Her forearms hit first, saving her chin from the collision; her mother's book slid a few meters ahead and unbeknownst to her, the old photograph she had tucked inside of her and her mother flew out to the side wall. Her eyes met the ground before looking up at her attacker, who had started laughing proudly at having thrown the curse that made the floor impossible to walk on. It was Pansy Parkinson followed by several Slytherin girls.

"Nice landing mudblood," Pansy said mockingly as she walked around her. Other classmates were also there, having all come from the same sixth-year class.

Alice didn't get up too quickly, and if it was any other day she would have said something back, but there was no fight in her today. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her elbows, she got up, fixed her robe and went to grab her book off the floor. Without looking back, she continued her way to the courtyard, realizing Draco was also there and had witnessed her embarrassing fall. His face was expressionless, though he did glance at her as she walked off with her tattered book clutched in her hand. Alice wondered why this scene was relevant in her dreamscape past; if anything it made Alice look vulnerable. Was it uncharacteristic of her to not fight back? Did she spark jealousy in Pansy the previous year and thus become a victim of her bullying that year?

Before her thoughts continued the dream again shifted and she was staring into a crystal ball. The paisley tablecloth underneath the orb made her realized she was sitting at one of the small round tables in Professor Trelawney's classroom.

"Broaden your minds," Professor Trelawney chanted while circling the room, running into a stool twice before reaching Alice's table. "The art of divination requires…Oh!" She stopped and her eyes seemed glued on Alice. Tilting her head, she asked, "What do you see my dear?"

Alice looked into the ball, but saw nothing and shook her head.

Trelawney raised her hands and fidgeted them over the top of the glass orb, peering through her thick glasses into the milky mist that swirled inside it. After a moment her face contorted and she cried a startling, "Oh my!"

"What is it?" Alice asked apprehensively, realizing all eyes in the room were suddenly on them as they listened to the words the professor spoke.

"Your ancestry is clouded to all but a few. A great secret looms about your past or is it your future?" Trelawney's voice fluctuated rhythmically as if she was completely entranced by the crystal's invisible pulsing energy. "You are not who you say you are! The blood in your veins stretches two realms! Your mission…"

Alice's eyes went wide, she wasn't sure how to stop Trelawney from saying something damning about her ancestry or perhaps the presence of her alternate self. She thought fast and threw the ball's dustcover over it, snapping Trelawney from the spell she was under.

"Oh," She blinked her eyes several times, seemingly disoriented. "I believe class time is already over." Trelawney crept awkwardly back to her desk as the students packed up their books and papers and exited out to the spiraling staircases. Alice waited before following them. While Trelawney was known for her eccentricities, she had proven to be clairvoyant in the past, but would the students take any credence to this revelation? Alice hoped it would remain in her fifth year class and not move beyond those walls.

While putting her book in her bag, the scene shifted to a week later; she was in Professor Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and her classmates were noisily packing away their books since the class had also just ended. Alice, however, was on her way to approach the teacher with a question about how to do a spell they just learned non-verbally, since it wasn't something they would be taught until sixth year.

"As usual, you're getting ahead of yourself McNally," Snape said, overtly uninterested in her question.

"Until next year then," she said discouraged, returning to her seat to collect her belongings. Sixth years were already filing into the room for the next class.

Parvati Patil, who sat in the same seat, approached Alice as she was putting away her things. She asked her what many students wanted to, "Is it true then, Alice?"

"Is what true?" Alice asked innocently, noticing that Parvati and her sister Padma weren't the only students in ears distance of their conversation.

"That Trelawney called you out; you're not muggle-born?" Her clear voice expressed a heightened curiosity.

The speculations must have traveled though the school and they took from it exactly what Alice expected they would. Admitting or not admitting to the truth seemed pointless. "Does it matter either way?" Alice finally asked, trying to feign importance in the subject.

"Not really, but why would you lie about that?" Parvati asked. The word "lie" hit Alice hard; she didn't "lie," more like hid the truth.

Hermione Granger then approached them, equally interested in the circulating gossip. "Professor Trelawney isn't always correct," she said smugly to Parvati with her arms crossed, her dislike of the professor and the subject of Divination slightly apparent. "And being muggle-born isn't something you just lie about." Alice knew Hermione understood the stigma of this identification, thus she probably couldn't imagine someone intentionally pretending to take it on as their own.

Before Alice responded, however, Professor Snape called from the front of the room, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "If Miss McNally would stop pretending to be a year older and remove herself from my classroom, we'll get started."

Despite sounds of amusement from several students, Alice was rather grateful to Snape for providing her an easier exit from the encroachment. She grabbed her bag from the desk and sidestepped Parvati and Hermione, passing by the desk where Draco sat before heading to the door.

* * *

Alice awoke from this dream at 3 am in the morning, stirred by ambulance sirens passing by on the busy street outside. She felt slightly confused about this new development. Students might know that she wasn't muggle-born, but her relation to Albus Dumbledore was still hidden. She then realized she hadn't encountered Draco face-to-face as she had in previous years. It was as her Draco had said, that year he mostly kept to himself, focused on his mission and stayed silent in his own fear. Her thoughts made it difficult to return to sleep and she tossed and turned until sunlight started streaming through her window blinds.

"Not a wonderful way to start the weekend," she thought as she gave up trying to sleep and threw off her covers. Looking in the mirror she frowned at the sight of puffy bags under her eyes and her tornado-blown hair. Draco would be stopping by later that morning, finally having weekend leave from school duties. They had no pressing plans and had gotten to the point where all they wanted was to spend time in each other's company. Of course, they did have dinner to attend at the manor that evening, which for Alice was more of a casual occurrence than a hindrance. She also looked forward to seeing Narcissa.

Draco arrived an hour later and immediately noted Alice's look of exhaustion, despite her attempt to look lively. She explained her difficulty falling back to sleep due to the dream she had. He immediately sat her down and made her tell him everything. It actually felt good for Alice to share the experience and get feedback on what she was thinking.

"It's not surprising that you didn't encounter me. I sort of lost my desire to bully. Mending that cabinet occupied all my free time," he said after.

"I could see the difference in your demeanor," Alice remembered solemnly, "At least when you were bullying you were full of life, it seemed drained from you this time."

"I was pretty devastated when my father was put in Azkaban. It was stressful at home, mother was a mess and her maniacal sister, Bellatrix, filled my head with delusions of grandeur at the task I was given. No matter the confidence I started the year with, deep down I knew if I failed my family and I were dead."

"I can't imagine the stress you were under. Do you think I should reach out to you?" she asked as she grabbed his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I may not respond well to it, especially considering our track record. But this new development, your ancestry, it could change dynamics," he said intrigued. "But you know, I'm not so sure I want you to spend time with this other me," he pulled her hand towards him, "I should be jealous."

Alice smiled, "Don't worry, you're not nearly as charming. But it's strange," she tone changed, "It's me, but it's not. I enter the dream with immediate access to another past, but I can betray those thoughts as I go. Sometimes I feel in control but when I am, I'm slightly confused about what's happening."

"You should do what feels right at the time then," Draco said unsure, "Thinking back now, if I knew there was someone concerned about me and willing to listen, maybe I would have appreciated it. But be weary, I could use you just like I did others…"

They spent the afternoon in warmer climate, having apparated to a lake farther south. Alice had never heard of the location, since it wasn't located on any muggle maps. It was a perfect place to relax and Alice ended up falling asleep on the blanket they brought to have a picnic on. Draco sat next her and casually read an old book he found in his family's library on dreams. He felt helpless in her situation and he wondered as she lay there, if she was again dreaming of a past that never happened.

* * *

_Dream 6_:

Alice found herself seated in a dark blue tufted sofa in the wide circular common room of her house dormitories. The space was empty and eerily quiet; everyone had left to watch that afternoon's quidditch match where Ravenclaw was playing Slytherin. This provided a perfect outlet for Alice to utilize the space to study in, and she noted the paper she had finished writing in front of her. Several more weeks had passed during this term and her contact with Draco had been minimal. Closing her Transfigurations textbook, an ulterior motive took hold. She remembered that Draco quit quidditch this year and perhaps she could find him somewhere in the hallways of the seventh floor, where the Room of Requirement was hidden. Of course, she had no idea at that point what she would say to him if she did find him.

Leaving the tower she quietly walked the upstairs corridors for what seemed like an hour, reading a book while pacing. The sun had already gone down and she found her tired feet moving to the Astronomy Tower. She had not been there in her reality, but she knew it was where her grandfather took his last breath. Something inherent told her to go, though she felt apprehensive.

Walking up the steps to the open space, she spotted Draco at the far railing in his black suit, standing with his back to her, almost blending in with the dark landscape he was looking out on. He grew aware of her presence and she thought he tucked his hand into his jacket for his wand.

She didn't stop, however, and boldly walked up to the railing next to him, giving him a slight smile before she gazed up at the stars, avoiding looking directly below for she still had a minimal fear of heights. It was a perfectly clear night and Alice could not help but marvel at the amount of stars she could see. A vision beyond anything available to her in any of the cities she'd ever lived in. She shook her head in disbelief, wondering if the dream was taking some liberties with the spectacle.

"You just don't see stars like this where I'm from," she said accidentally, momentarily forgetting that he probably wouldn't understand. There was an awkward silence, but Draco didn't leave which prodded Alice to continue with an anecdote. "When I was a child," her tone was careful but positive as she thought back to when she was six years old, having just been on a family camping trip, "I was determined to recreate the night's sky in my bedroom. I spent hours with black construction paper, cutting and poking holes, taping it together, setting up lamps, only to fail miserably. My mother told me not to expect to create something in a few hours that took the universe over 13.7 billion years. I like how insignificant the cosmos makes you feel, but also how important it feels to be a part of it."

While again Alice thought Draco would leave, he stayed and listened to her, not speaking but also looking up at the stars.

After another moment of silence, they could hear loud cheering from the quidditch pitch in the distance. Alice then asked, "You quit quidditch?" in an effort to direct the conversation to him.

"Since when did you care about quidditch?" he retorted; Alice knew there was truth to that.

"I don't," Alice replied, "Only aware of whom my house is playing."

"Shouldn't you be studying?" He asked after a moment of silence.

Alice laughed, "Probably. But I don't always do what is expected of me. Do you?" She looked at him after throwing this question. At first he didn't seem interested in answering and Alice thought the studying question was a hint for her to go away.

"Expectations," he scoffed, looking angrily out at the skyline. "There's always expectations."

"The worst I find are the ones I place on myself," she replied, playing against his negative tone. Then she added with sarcasm, "Though this school never ceases to amaze me. At least you're someone who I think understands that."

"This school," he said disdainfully, "It grows more pathetic each year. They teach child's play and expect competence in the real world."

Alice could see she hit a nerve. "I think we'd sooner experience a warm winter than see them change the curriculum. Sometimes I regret my decision to come here."

"Against what, a muggle curriculum?" he remarked coldly.

Alice looked at him and gave him a smile, saying casually, "Perhaps, or somewhere in the States where my father lives. You probably would have been better suited for Durmstrang."

He looked at her briefly before turning his head back to the view, "So what is it McNally, this rumor about you?"

"I'm surprised you asked," she said truthfully before shrugging her shoulders, "My mother died when I was child but her ancestry is speculative. I can't claim blood ties by name so I don't."

"And you willingly identify as muggle-born?" Draco asked skeptically.

"Does it make a difference to your pure-blood ideology whether I'm muggle-born or half-blood?"

He didn't respond.

"I didn't think so," she answered for him. "As for speculations, you're obviously not yourself."

His eyes narrowed. "What would you know," he replied bitterly.

Alice looked at him, "For starters, we're actually having a conversation."

He rolled his eyes imperceptibly, unsure if this was a good thing.

"But honestly," Alice continued, concern apparent in her voice, "I can sense something's been troubling you this year. You're not yourself." She paused briefly before continuing, it seemed that Draco didn't seem to acknowledge her words. Then she added, "I heard about your father, I'm sorry."

He suddenly felt uncomfortable and made a motion to leave, anger was apparent as he squeezed the guardrail before releasing it to walk away. Alice grabbed his arm lightly, making him stop. She said sincerely to him, "If you ever need someone to talk to," she let go as he pulled away. "I'm here," the last part trailed off her tongue as he continued to head for the stairway. She looked solemnly at the darkened landscape again, wondering whether she approached the situation right.

The scene changed and she was in a nook in the seventh floor corridor studying from one of her SAT books. Several pages of notes she wrote and scratch paper she had used lay nearby. It was early; she got up before anyone in her house. In her bag she had several pieces of fruit that she took from the breakfast table, foregoing eating with others to study alone. This was her first time cracking these books to study and it was on her Saturday no less. She always compartmentalized her studies, regulating a specific time for everything. With the O.W.L.S. approaching and all her other coursework taking up her week, Saturday would become her muggle exam study days, while Sunday was her only non-forced study day. Even then she usually read her history books. This rigorous study schedule was not uncommon for a Ravenclaw, however.

While drawing a Venn diagram, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She quickly gathered her papers and closed them in her book, not knowing if it was Filch or another professor. Technically she wasn't supposed to be there, nor was she to have a book that Filch confiscated upon her arrival at Hogwarts. She stood up and backed herself against the wall, but as she did so a pencil slowly rolled off the stone bench she sat on.

"Who's there?" A voice called sternly, immediately Alice knew it was Draco's voice.

She walked out of the nook, "I'm glad it's you," she said genuinely relieved, giving him a pleasant smile. "For a minute there I thought it was Filch."

"What are you doing here?" he again sounded perturbed and Alice wondered if he was always like that or if it was just her that agitated him

"Studying," she said calmly, "You?"

He didn't answer but continued walking.

"Hey," Alice called to him, retrieving something from her bag. He turned around, which for Alice meant progress because she expected him to ignore her and keep walking. "Catch!" She held up and then threw one of her green apples and with quick reflexes he caught it; her alternate self knew it was his favorite fruit and that he often skipped breakfast. "I'm assuming you could use some breakfast," she said cheerfully, "And don't worry, it's not poisoned."

He simply nodded as he looked at her, a gesture Alice took as gratitude, and then he continued down the corridor.

Looking down at her closed book again, the scene changed and she was in her grandfather's office. The old wizard was sipping a cup of tea and Alice was staring at a half empty cup in her hand.

"…So every winter I become a little more melancholy," he said ending the previous topic. "Before I forget," he pulled out a wrapped package from his desk, handing it over to Alice. "This is your Christmas present, but not to be opened until then."

Alice grabbed the package, smirking at her grandfather because of its shape. It was too obvious that it was a book, which was more than appreciated. He had usually found her the rarest of books. But then she asked rather confused, "Why so early?" Winter break wasn't for a few weeks.

"I'll be traveling soon and may not be back until after the break, but I must insist you apologize to your father and Jane for my absence at Christmas dinner."

"Traveling again?" Concern was again apparent in her voice, then she lectured, "You aren't going to injure yourself again, are you?" She was referring to his badly damaged hand.

"One hopes not," he chuckled at her tone. "Now what's this I hear about your detention?"

"Oh that," Alice said, feeling a bit dejected. She was serving detention with Professor Snape for making Pansy Parkinson fall down a flight of stairs, a curse she provided after Pansy mocked her in the hallway again. She also felt it was needed payback for what happened to her at the beginning of the year, which she assumed made her loose the photo of her and her mother. Alice was just unlucky in the fact that Snape happened to walk around the corner when she did it. Her grandfather couldn't bail her out of this one, unfortunately.

"Using magic to cause someone harm is not something we tolerate at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said firmly, "You know better."

"I do, of course I do, but…" Alice tried to defend herself knowing it was pointless.

"Words not wands," Dumbledore reiterated. "Unfortunately, I agree with Snape that you should serve out your detention till the end of term, but I've insisted it to be a study detention."

"And?" Alice asked eagerly, hoping Snape agreed.

"He'll consider it…"

The scene changed and Alice found herself holding a quill and staring at a badly written potions essay. As part of her detention, she was correcting grammatical errors of papers written by first years.

"Consider yourself lucky McNally, I don't normally give such easy detentions," Snape said, placing another pile of papers nearby.

"Right, and grading isn't the bane of a teacher's existence," Alice replied sarcastically, knowing too well how grading sucked the life out of her.

Snape's eyes narrowed, "And how would you know?"

Alice's eyes suddenly went wide, "Just a general assumption," she said quickly and politely, "It's a perfectly reasonable detention professor."

"You've been acting strange lately McNally, like you know something," he said condemningly.

Alice tried to stay calm at his inquiry, replying bitterly with hopes of finding out something, "What would I know that you don't already know. My grandfather already told you everything." She put her correcting quill down and crossed her arms.

Snape cocked one eyebrow, "Dumbledore told me nothing. I came across your ancestry documents prior to their disposal."

This caught Alice's attention, "Prior? Then others know…" Her voice trailed off as she wondered who else saw these documents. The Death Eaters would take over the Ministry next year and round up and imprison all muggle-borns. She would no doubt be on that list or perhaps someone there knew and the information would be leaked. Wouldn't Voldemort be interested in Dumbledore's only offspring? Did this make her a target? Alice's mind was going fast at this point and her deep internal turmoil was noticeable to Snape who watched her suspiciously.

"It's unlikely," he said breaking her thoughts. "What is your concern exactly, McNally?"

"Nothing, just curious," Alice said calmly, and trying to brush off any hint of her worry, she picked up her quill and starting correcting, drawing a circle around the misspelled version of the word "jinx."

Before Snape could interrogate her further, Draco Malfoy entered the classroom causing the door to thud loudly behind him.

"You're late Mr. Malfoy," he said scathingly. Alice was surprised to see him, she wondered if he was also serving detention and for what.

"Sorry professor," he said politely.

"Not as sorry as you will be after you finish an even lengthier assignment. It will make you think twice before deciding to skip my class." Snape began walking to his side office but stopped, turning back to them momentarily which made his robe swing dramatically behind him, "And don't expect to leave early. That door won't open until the allotted time." He then entered his office and the door instantly shut loudly behind him.

Alice thought it was unbelievable that she'd be stuck in detention with none other than Draco, who sat at a desk opposite from her and was removing his textbook and parchment from his bag. He had skipped Snape's class without reason, which landed him with extra homework to complete on a Friday night. Alice wondered why he missed class. If anything, he didn't look healthy. He was a bit paler and looked like he hadn't slept much. She wondered whether he was intentionally avoiding Snape at this time, who had vowed to protect him; the Unbreakable Vow, Draco said Narcissa made Snape swear. Draco had yet to hex Katie Bell, and Alice wondered if at this time he was contemplating doing it.

She continued to grade the paper in front of her but her brain was thinking of what to say. She felt unbearably awkward around him, especially due to his fragile state. Not thinking of anything witty or anecdotal, she simply asked sincerely, "How is everything?"

He didn't look at her and continued writing, the sound of his quill seemed to echo through the room as she watched his hand move.

"You don't look well," Alice continued, "Are you sleeping enough?"

"What's it to you?" He said angrily, not looking up from his paper.

"Just asking," Alice replied, then she remarked with mild sarcasm as she grabbed another paper to grade, "Perhaps I miss your bullying."

"You would," he sounded not too pleased.

Alice knew this wasn't getting her anywhere, so she directed the conversation a bit more, "It seems like you're carrying a heavy burden."

His hand stopped writing in mid-sentence and he seemed startled by her suggestion.

"It's hard to be alone with it," Alice continued cautiously.

Draco rose from his chair quickly and pulled out his wand, pointing it at her, "What do you know?" He asked viciously. Alice remained calm, not wanting to believe he would curse her.

"I'm just trying to help," the concern in her voice was apparent.

"I don't want your help," he said angrily, still pointing his wand.

"I can see that," Alice said calmly; she shrugged off his threat by looking back down at the paper in front of her.

"Aren't you afraid I'll curse you?" he asked firmly.

"No," Alice looked up at him again, "It's not exactly a good place to throw magic around," her eyes glanced at Snape's office door briefly.

Draco also looked at Snape's door and considered what she said; he slowly placed his wand back in his jacket and sat back down.

After she finished grading another paper, Alice brought up another topic of conversation, "So you skipped class? That's very un-prefect-like of you."

"I have no interest in those duties," he said bitterly of the position he was given in fifth year.

"I thought the same when I was offered the position," Alice replied, not saying anything more.

After a moment of silence, Draco's curiosity got the best of him. "So what has you here?"

"Your girlfriend," Alice smiled smarmily.

"If you're referring to Pansy, she's not my girlfriend," Draco replied dryly.

"Well, that's news," Alice replied equally dry, "Perhaps it is more than jealously then."

"Jealous? Of you?" He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself."

"I actually find it disturbing. I have little control over her emotions and prefer not to be the victim of her longing for you. At least you didn't hurl curses at me. I can handle insults but hate the thought of what she's brewing next… Of course," Alice thought out loud, "I probably exacerbated the problem when I tripped her down the stairs."

"That's unlike you," he said.

"I know, I usually get detention for my mouth, but she made me lose something that was important to me," Alice said solemnly, thinking of the picture she lost. "Unfortunately, now Snape has me doing his job." After Alice crossed out several misuses of the word, _there, their, _and _they're_, she asked, "Don't magical children learn grammar prior to attending school?"

"Of course we do," Draco said annoyed by her insinuation.

"I was just joking," Alice continued grading giving him the next chance to talk. He continued to work on his paper, perhaps noticing the silence more now than before.

After a few more minutes, Draco asked, "Why do study so hard?"

This question caught Alice by surprise, was he actually directing a personal question at her? She looked at him but she was unsure of what to say, "No reason."

"It's not because you're being forced?" he asked.

"No, my father actually thinks I study too much. He probably wishes I was more normal. How about your parents? Do they expect a lot of you?"

"Too much," he replied.

"That makes it difficult to be your own person," Alice said consolingly.

He seemed lost in his thoughts.

Alice then said encouragingly, "You'll be adult soon though. That allows for more freedom."

"I doubt it," Draco said, "I'm sort of stuck in my situation."

"I hope you'll be given a chance to get out of it," Alice was careful with her tone.

"There is no way out," he sounded hopeless.

"Perhaps you just don't see one right now, but things can change."

Uncomfortable, Draco changed the subject, "What exactly is your relationship to Dumbledore. You're often in his office."

Alice was sort of off-put by this question. She grew suspicious of his interest; she wondered if she would be replacing Katie Bell as the victim of his hex. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to let anyone else know."

This made Draco grow more interested, and he nodded in agreement.

"I didn't want to attend Hogwarts unless I could also study what I'd be missing at home, so I made a deal with Dumbledore, that I'd also learn a separate curriculum concurrent with the one here. I go to his office to take exams and get my next assignment from home. That's all." She thought confiding in him might help gain his trust, though she wasn't sure if they'd ever get to that point.

Draco then realized, "So that's why you're always studying."

"Yeah, I don't regret it though. I think I get the best of both worlds this way."

Suddenly Snape's office door swung open and he walked hastily towards them, a disgruntled look was on his face. "Since when did detention mean socializing?"

"Sorry professor," both of them said in unison as they looked back down at the papers in front of them, pretending to be hard at work.

"If I hear anymore words from your mouths your detentions will become a lot less pleasant," he threatened before returning to his office. It was enough of a threat to make the two of them silent for the next hour. The last thing Alice remembered was leaving the classroom alongside Draco and giving him a friendly look before walking in the opposite direction; a look which she could have sworn he returned.

* * *

Alice awoke from her nap, nestled next to Draco on the picnic blanket. He had also fallen asleep and an open book was lying face down on his chest. A cold breeze had started to blow from the lake front and Alice gathered her cardigan and placed it over her shoulders. Bringing her knees to her chest, she looked over the rippling waters and wondered if she was making progress.


	42. Chapter 42

There was an unnerving uncertainty swirling in Alice's stomach from her current dream. She wondered whether confiding to that past's Draco about her extracurricular muggle curriculum was beneficial to building his trust or did it provide him another path to take in his mission to destroy Dumbledore. Alice thought their conversation during Snape's detention was friendlier than any had been; Draco mentioned the stress he was under, expressed a certain feeling of hopelessness, and he directed a few personal inquiries to her. He had refrained from calling her "mudblood," even if her ancestry was still speculative to him and the school. Then there was Professor Snape, who suspected something; she didn't know if he sensed her alternate self or simply found her behavior odd for other reasons.

Alice tried to take in the calmness of the lake as she waited for Draco to stir from his nap. They were alone on a vast landscape somewhere in the magical realm. She could hear the breeze blowing and the subtle breathing of her partner. Their relationship went against all other's expectations, and yet they had fallen in love so easily. But in her alternate past, she could barely hold a pleasant conversation with him. With each new encounter, she could sense the turmoil he was going through; the fear he held inside; how alone he must have felt. He had come so far form that time, from his ingrained beliefs, from his need to bully. As she looked down at him sleeping peacefully, Alice appreciated his love even more.

She then calmed her thoughts and meditated, breathing in the clean air, waiting. While Draco wanted Alice to share her problems with him, she couldn't help but feel sorry for doing so. There was always another dream to over-analyze and worry about. As she meditated, the world slowed down for five minutes until she felt a soft hand on her back.

"Hey," Draco said quietly, not knowing if Alice was sleeping.

She fluttered her eyes open, realizing she had not heard him move. Huddling close to him, she started, "It happened again…"

"…It might be wise if you learn Occlumency," Draco said after Alice finished discussing her worries about Snape. "Snape could use Legilimency to know your thoughts."

"A teacher would do that?" Alice asked surprised, thinking that was certainly an abuse of power.

"If he suspects something amiss," Draco confirmed, "It's a trying time at Hogwarts and especially for Snape who's playing both sides. Just because you're Dumbledore's granddaughter doesn't mean you're trusted."

"Snape tried to help you though, right?" Alice asked unsure.

"He was obligated to, but I wouldn't have it," Draco remembered. "He did try using Legilimency to find out what I was up too, but I was taught Occlumency by my aunt so no one would know my secret. That's why I'm saying it's not unlike him to try."

"Okay, I'll learn," Alice felt it was another impossible magic trick but she would give it a try, "But I could have another dream tonight and be completely unprepared. I have to be more careful with how I act, especially around Snape."

"And around me," Draco reminded her, "I'm not so sure if befriending me is exactly the right strategy. I honestly think avoidance is better."

"But the dreams are placing us together for a reason, if not to reach out to you then what?" Alice thought forward, "I'm curious about the next school year, when Death Eaters are in charge of the school…"

Draco shook his head, not wanting to think that far ahead, "I'm hoping you're not at the school at that time; that you're hidden, safe."

"I'd be imprisoned, wouldn't I? If my documents confirm that I'm muggle-born?" Alice asked.

"Yes, after the Ministry fell they began rounding up all muggle-borns, having them prove their ancestry. But if you try and prove your link to Dumbledore, either they won't believe you or it'll make you a target," Draco said concerned.

"Those who hid themselves probably didn't stand much more of a chance," Alice thought aloud.

"Many were killed by the snatchers who went after them," Draco confirmed solemnly.

"If this situation arises, I have no clue which direction to go in," Alice said perturbed.

Draco then thought, "You need to find out more information, maybe from your grandfather."

"He seems to brush off any need for my concern. He doesn't want me to get involved," Alice noted.

"But you will be involved and dangerously so," Draco said adamantly, "The school already suspects some discrepancy in your ancestry so ask for his opinion, maybe he'll give provide you some form of guidance."

Alice nodded, accepting that this should be her next task, "It's a starting point," then realizing the time, "We should go, it's almost dinner time."

They had spent a majority of the late afternoon discussing her recent dreams that time seemed to speed up. After they apparated to the grand foyer of Malfoy Manor, Alice was immediately rundown by Fritz, who scampered from the drawing room to greet them.

"Something smells good," Draco commented on the aroma wafting through the place.

"I hope so," Narcissa exclaimed, also coming from the drawing room, "I did request Loister to make a proper roast so hopefully he complied. House elves aren't what they use to be."

"Not after all the Ministry's ethics regulations for them," Lucius said disdainfully, also coming from the drawing room.

Draco gave Alice a brief explanation, "If Loister feels mistreated, he can file a report with the Ministry and we could be cited. But house elves are also contracted to their master and expect harsh treatment so it's unlikely they'd file a claim."

Alice laughed, "Still, keeping oneself out of trouble with the Ministry is wise."

"Yes, we all know that well," Narcissa quickly agreed. "Well, you two come on in and get comfortable. We have a lot to discuss."

The discussion had to do with the upcoming wedding and with Alice moving to the manor. Something she was eager but nervous about at the same time.

"I'm thinking of extending Draco's room into the adjoining lounge. I know you're going to need more space," Narcissa mused over her plans for renovation, "It is perfect for an extra office, which I'm sure you'll want."

"That'd be great, especially if you could manage to add electricity in that space?" Alice said politely though unsure.

"Of course, of course" Narcissa said, "And don't worry, you won't have to share the same closet. There will be a whole other space for your clothes, one worthy of a Malfoy."

Alice smiled at Narcissa's tone, both knowing how necessary a larger space for clothing was for both of them.

Draco added amused, "Alice is already carrying on a family tradition."

"You don't think I'd let you marry someone who lacked style," Narcissa joked.

"You'll learn more and more that this family is all about image," Draco said in passing.

"As are other families in our rank, the difference is we make it look effortless," Narcissa said cockily.

"Well, I never thought dressing good was a chore," Alice replied.

"Precisely, and it shouldn't be," she exclaimed, "Especially not when you have the means to do so."

Then Lucius commented dryly, "The money this woman spends on clothing…"

"Not as much as you invest in worthless companies," Narcissa interrupted, "Not that he'd admit it but he likes dressing up just as much as I do. Draco is a bit more subdued with his fashion though."

"I admire a good suit when I come across it," Draco corrected her, while being amused by his father agitation.

"You were always that way," Alice asked, thinking of him in her dreams, "With your black custom suits?"

Draco looked at her and realized it wasn't a question but a realization, "I guess so."

"That reminds me," Narcissa remembered, "I found some old photographs," she got up from her armchair and went to a side cupboard, pulling out some leather bound photo albums.

"She isn't…" Draco remarked quietly after seeing the books.

"I am," she replied, of course hearing his remark. "I've been reminiscing since you two began teaching at Hogwarts, thinking of when Draco went off to school." She opened one of the photo albums to a page showing a moving picture of the family holding Draco as an infant.

Alice couldn't help but smile, despite Draco's utter embarrassment. She then told Narcissa, "My father did the same thing to me when he visited, actually devoting luggage space to photo albums. I'm glad you're providing retribution."

Narcissa laughed, turning the page while giving anecdotes to each of the pictures. Lucius poured him and Draco another glass of tonic to distance them from the embarrassment.

"And this is him in his quidditch uniform. We were really proud when he made team seeker his second year," Narcissa continued turning the pages. Alice began seeing in the pictures the face she knew in her dreams, making her relive them again.

"…And that's as far as they go I'm afraid," she closed the album which ended after his fifth year, saying solemnly, "There weren't many worthy moments to document after that."

Alice looked at her consolingly.

"But," Narcissa started optimistically, "You've already prompted me to start a new album." She placed the one unopened album on her lap and opened it, revealing a picture of Alice and Draco on their engagement night. Alice didn't even remember the picture being taken, as it showed them entering the banquet room smiling at each other, hand-in-hand.

"This will start your memories of your married life together," she said, handing the album to Alice who took it graciously, thanking her. After looking at Draco, who seemed also touched by the gesture, Alice fully felt the acceptance that he and his family had given her; something that would have been impossible for them a decade ago. She understood this slightly better now since her dreams began, having encountered the sheer prejudice and misunderstanding Draco had for muggles and muggle-borns. This family had been through an emotionally devastating and dangerous roller coaster, barely surviving Voldemort's humiliating takeover of their lives and home, while also suffering the social sting of their involvement. After all this, for Alice to end up here, a muggle accepted into their pure-blood family, was an almost unthinkable occurrence.

Lucius, feeling uncomfortable with the love fest, interjected, "Could we finish with this sentimentality before it spoils my appetite?"

"Oh please," Narcissa spat, "I saw you secretly looking through these very albums the other day," then she said nicely to Alice, "He often pretends he doesn't care, but he does. Just see, he'll be an emotional wreck on the wedding day."

Alice glanced at Lucius who looked annoyed by his wife's insinuation. Then he stated derisively, "But not for joyous sentimental reasons."

Alice smiled at him, "I hope it won't be too painful for you Mr. Malfoy."

"I think father has a pretty high threshold for pain," Draco added, "Just wait until Alice calls you 'dad'."

Alice tried to suffocate her laugh, but did so unsuccessfully. Then Narcissa added amused, "Well, it's just something he'll have to get use to."

"Yes," Lucius added slowly, "I'm quite aware of my choices or lack thereof. And in time, Alice will learn what it takes to be a Malfoy, if she can handle it."

Alice looked at him and said seriously, "I'm actually quite proud to become a Malfoy and hope that I can contribute to the family's history, not deduct from it."

Lucius noted her sincerity and nodded as if to say he was holding her to her word. The family would soon eat a lavishly prepared dinner and then find themselves in the drawing room, drawing up plans for the wedding. It was decided to hold it in one of the manor's gardens, which had an elaborate glass gazebo that could be heated during the winter months. Narcissa and Alice also planned to go dress shopping together the following weekend.

The excitement of the joyous occasion seemed far removed from the troubles Alice was experiencing in her dream reality. If only she knew how to make the other one move in the same direction. That night she stayed with Draco at the manor, falling asleep in his arms; something she missed dearly since they started teaching. There, her world seemed perfect, making it harder to close her eyes and drift away from it.

* * *

_Dream 7:_

Noticing immediately that she was dressed in her modest school uniform, with the tie too tight, Alice looked up to see the stone sphinx that guarded the spiral staircase which weaved up to the headmaster's office. Time had passed in this realm since her last dream and Katie Bell had recently been hexed. Alice realized she was so far spared from being used by Draco in his mission.

Stopping before the entrance, the steps began descending, meaning someone was coming from the office above. Soon she came face to face with Harry Potter, who had just met with Dumbledore to further discuss his mission for the school year; which Alice knew had something to do with Professor Slughorn.

She nodded in acknowledgement of him, not necessarily being friends with 'the chosen one,' especially after rejecting his and Hermione's invitation to be part of Dumbledore's Army last year. Alice remained on the fringe of the school, preferring solitude to involvement; for this she was misunderstood and slightly mistrusted, even to her fellow Ravenclaws. If it wasn't for Luna, Harry would have been weary to have even mentioned the Army to Alice. Now the current rumors of her ancestry made her even more recognizable to students who queried whether it had anything to do with her oddness. Other muggle-born students, like Hermione, who may have felt kinship with Alice for their shared minority, also grew suspicious of her. She heard from Luna that some already suspected she wasn't muggle-born because she wasn't attacked by the Basilisk when the Chamber of Secrets was opened in her first year, as other muggle-borns were. Simply being a topic of conversation among classmates made Alice even more uncomfortable in her surroundings and reminded her that she needed to discuss this with her grandfather tonight.

Seeing Alice, Harry nodded in greeting, asking, "Have an appointment with Dumbledore too?"

"That's right," Alice said disinterested, hoping to continue up the steps without anymore conversation.

"Well, see you at Slughorn's Christmas party no doubt," Harry said pleasantly as he passed her.

Just that week Alice sat near him and Hermione at one of Slughorn's social dinners, an ongoing part of his recruitment for his Slug Club. Alice's steady top grades and academic potential of course made her eligible for the elite group. She would have preferred to stay out of it, but her grandfather insisted it would be good way for her to socialize. The round table dinner became extremely uncomfortable when asked what her parents did; even if she went after Hermione who explained that both her parents were dentists. Alice quickly stated that her father is a financial advisor while her mother is deceased. Several of the students looked at each other as if it offered any more clues about her ancestry. Slughorn, who didn't know of the rumor, didn't linger on what he thought was a tender issue of a dead mother. Alice had to endure some rude stares from Blaise who sat across from her, reminding her of his cold, insensitive interrogation in her own time.

After rounding the staircase, Alice found her grandfather's office eerily tense, as the old wizard continued to stare into his Pensieve. She knew he had a brilliant mind, but she couldn't help but feel that Voldemort was providing him a challenge unlike he ever anticipated. And his time had been considerably shortened by the fatal curse of Marvolo Gaunt's ring. It pained her to know that he was in his final months.

"I'm glad we are able to meet again before I leave," he said steadily, still contemplating issues from his prior meeting with Potter. Unknown to anyone, he would be taking off that evening.

"I'm glad too, I have to ask you something," Alice started, still uncertain how to word her worries.

"Yes, the rumor about your ancestry has caused quite a stir amongst the school," he said in recognition of her troubles; she felt as if he was reading her thoughts.

Alice replied hastily, "I don't think it's safe for me to identify as muggle-born anymore."

"Nor is it safe for you to identify as my granddaughter," he said solemnly still looking into the dark liquid.

Sounding a bit hopeless, Alice asked, "Then what should I do?"

Turning from the Pensieve he spoke directly to her, "Your original ancestry documents were destroyed along with the memories of those whose hands they passed through. They were then replaced by ones that lay no claim to my line. However, I embedded a charm that will alter them when the timing is right." His voice was steady and assured; he had thought this through already.

"When?" Alice prodded; she detested how vague he was.

"When it is necessary," he said casually, walking over to the desk to sit down. He was looking more frail than normal. "It is wise to hide the truth until it specifically asked of you, until your freedom depends on it."

Alice wondered whether this was when the Ministry of Magic invoked the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, enforcing all muggle-borns to be interrogated, facing imprisonment and degradation for what they would call "stealing magic." Would her secret be revealed then? What would happen once Voldemort discovered Dumbledore had an heir? Would he care?

Dumbledore then added, "Continue on your path and you'll be safe, as long as you're true to yourself. You are ready."

For a moment, Alice felt that he knew about her alternate life; that he knew of her mission to save herself from that tragedy that would have befallen her if she couldn't change it.

Before she could respond the dream shifted and she was standing in girl's bathroom with Luna in front of her. Alice was helping her fix her long blonde hair for Slughorn's party that evening. Luna was wearing a hideous metallic tiered gown, which, despite its unattractiveness, matched her personality fittingly.

"I think that looks good," Luna said after Alice pinned another lock of her hair back.

"I think so too," Alice replied cheerfully, noticing she was wearing a short but tasteful black cocktail dress, something befitting of her style.

"You like to wear black don't you?" Luna asked curiously, while putting in her radish earrings.

"You never can go wrong with black, it's classy and understated," Alice replied proudly, pulling back her hair into a sleek ponytail.

"Clothes do express your personality," Luna stated, "So it suits you."

"Thanks," Alice said, unsure if it was a compliment.

"You're welcome. I should go meet Harry," she said calmly, "I don't want to get lost."

"I'll see you there," Alice said, still fixing her hair.

Before leaving, Luna added, "It's too bad you don't have a date, you really look lovely."

Alice looked in the mirror again thinking that it was typical of her at this age not to have one. She was later informed that it was because she intimidated those who would've asked her, not to mention at this school she was even more misunderstood.

Putting on her heels, she made her way to the seventh floor, noting the red floating lanterns that were illuminating the high arched ceilings above her. Her shoes made a clacking noise that echoed down the hall. Being out of her uniform and in a dress and heels made her forget that she was a student; for a moment she felt like the twenty-six year old who taught Muggle Studies on the fifth floor.

Walking into the party, she was greeted by Professor Slughorn, who noted how tall she seemed and then asked why she didn't bring anyone. But before she could reply, another student approached the rotund professor with his date. Alice side-stepped the group and went to grab a glass of what appeared to be champagne from Neville who was walking around with a serving tray. She noted how odd it was to see the Herbology professor serving drinks to other students. Alice was glad his future self moved past this degradation into a respectable career.

Alice then noticed Professor Snape, who seemed to be looking for someone. Her glance prompted him to give her a suspicious look, making her feel slightly vulnerable. He definitely suspected something, she thought, and now knowing he was a skilled Legilimens, she tried not to let her thoughts betray her. She quickly went to join Luna who was talking with Ginny Weasley nearby. Already Alice wondered why this party was of any importance for her to pass through in her dream.

After a few minutes of mindless chit-chat about their dresses, and Alice noticing Snape talking to Harry Potter, Filch stumbled into the event holding none other than Draco by the back of his blazer. This prompted everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at the duo. Alice was quick to move in front of everyone, not sure what to expect.

"Mr. Slughorn sir, I just discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party," Filch said to the confused professor, who promptly stopped the photographer next to him from taking a picture.

"Okay okay, I was…" Draco started to explain.

"Waiting for me," Alice interjected quickly with a smile as she stepped next to him, "Our meeting time was off." Then saying to Draco convincingly, "Sorry about that."

All the students stared at her in disbelief, but Alice continued, saying specifically to Slughorn, "He's my date."

Slughorn finally spoke to the crowd, acting completely unfazed by the situation, "Well of course, this beautiful young lady wouldn't come alone! That'll be all Filch."

Filch unwillingly let go of Draco's suit as he jerked away from him, prompting the young man to sneer at the old gatekeeper disdainfully.

Slughorn told the party attendees to carry-on, though looks of disbelief had not left many of their faces. Alice found herself reaching to fix Draco's collar, which had curled up from Filch's rough dragging; something she would have done in her reality. He back away from her touch, which made Alice realize she was not that twenty-six year old professor and he wasn't her fiancé. Draco gave her a look of anger before grabbing her arm and dragging her from the party to the outside hallway. She willingly followed him, trying to act like she wasn't being forced by his hand. Once in the darkened recesses of the hall, his grip tightened on her arm and he threw her against the wall, making her hit her back against the stone surface. He pulled his out his wand and placed it at her throat.

"Why are you helping me? What do you know?" He said hastily.

Alice looked at him searchingly, noting the fear behind the anger in his eyes, "Just trying to get you out of detention." Then adding optimistically, "It worked, didn't it?"

He pondered whether this was the truth as he slowly lowered his wand.

"Sorry if I embarrassed you Draco," Alice added concerned, "I can return to the party alone, answer any questions as you like." She noticed his breathing was trying to steady itself, as if his nerves finally realized the trauma of the previous situation. He was extremely fragile and probably in turmoil over the misdirection of his previous plot to send a cursed necklace to Dumbledore. Katie Bell didn't die in the exchange, but if she was released from St. Mungo's fully healed, would she remember her curser? These thoughts must have been haunting him.

"No…" he started confused, perhaps even unsure of what Alice said.

"Hey," Alice placed a hand on his shoulder, saying sincerely, "It'll be alright."

They each heard footsteps and the dark figure of Severus Snape appeared at the end of the hallway. As he approached the two, Alice looked again at Draco who seemed bewildered by the past events. She said again to him, "It'll be alright."

Then directing her voice to Snape, "I was just leaving." The professor glared at her suspiciously, but didn't stop her from departing. She quickly clacked her heels down the hall, feeling mild pain in her back before being thrust into a new part of her dream.

This time she sat alone in Professor Snapes' office, presumably serving another Friday night detention for making Pansy Parkinson fall down the stairs. But this time she felt very uncomfortable, as if awaiting interrogation.

"It's obvious you know something," he said scathingly, pacing nearby, "Did Dumbledore give you information?"

"No," Alice said, unsure of Snape's interest. From what she knew from her reality, Snape was loyal to her grandfather; that he died bravely maintaining his allegiance to the Order. Alice wasn't worried about him causing her harm but she wondered what it was about this moment that needed to be changed. Should she confide in him and ask for his help? Maybe that's it, she thought.

"Then perhaps you're being used by someone?" He sounded intrigued by this unique implication.

"Of course not!" Alice said adamantly.

"It's obvious you're lying," he replied, looking at her incriminatingly. "What is it then?" He seemed to search her mind, she wondered if he was attempting Legilimency on her.

"I can't explain, but," she hesitated, but not being able to turn back, she said, "I can show you, through my thoughts." She then let him into her mind.

Snape first saw a recent memory of Narcissa handing a slightly older Alice a photo album, hearing Narcissa's mellow voice say, "This will start your memories of your married life together;" the photograph of Alice and Draco walking hand and hand after their engagement repeated in front of him.

Then her memories shifted farther back to her trail and Snape saw Alice standing in the center of a crowded courtroom, looking uncertain but holding her dignity. Before her was a sea of plum colored robes, and Snape immediately knew she was being interrogated by the Wizengamot. He recognized the older sixth year Slytherin student Blaise Zabini, addressing the audience, "Alice McNally was brought into custody in order to assess the source of her information…Her knowledge, however, is rightly her own, deduced from years of personal research. We also conducted blood and ancestry tests that conclusively showed that she is the granddaughter of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. However, she possesses no magical ability. The reason for which became apparent after another series of tests showed that an enchantment placed on her as a child effectively repressed her magical gene…"

Alice's memories then transported Snape to Olivander's wand shop, where he saw Alice standing next to Draco as the old wizard pulled a wand box from one of his back shelves, blowing the dust off its badly worn box. Alice looked on apprehensively as Olivander spoke the words, "Very rare that a wand has been waiting for you since your coming of age; that it should wait and survive the destruction of this very store…"

Again her memories changed to a sunlit grassy lawn in the Malfoy's outside garden. Alice threw a stick and a large Irish wolf hound ran hastily after it. Draco stood nearby and began levitating the stick in mid-air with his wand, making the wolf hound look up in confusion. Alice shook her head in amusement, feigning dismay, "That's awful!" To which Draco replied equally amused, "Isn't it though?" before having the stick fly further away. "Magic is just pure whimsy," Alice remarked while walking over to Draco, her hand reaching out to him as he took it and pulled her to where they were holding each other arm distance apart. "You just haven't learned the interesting spells yet," Draco said jokingly to which Alice replied skeptically, "How about useful ones?" Draco then said to her sincerely, "You don't have to use magic Alice, especially not because of me." Alice smiled at him, "I know. You'd still love me even if my enchantment wasn't lifted." Draco nodded to the words he'd already told her. "But I wonder," Alice though aloud, "Why did my grandfather lift it? What do I have to be ready for?"

This inquiry led Snape to another memory; as he stood in the Muggle Studies classroom on the fifth floor of Hogwarts. He saw Alice leaning against the front desk, her arms were crossed and she looked out on a classroom of seated students. She spoke to them, "Being a muggle means you have no choice in your ignorance of the magical world. You're obligated to not know. So one thing I will reiterate again and again in this class is to never forget that you are privileged to be keepers of knowledge that is kept from so many. But there's a further step beyond knowledge, which is understanding. This involves having to think clearly and critically…"

Her memory then cycled back to something more recent as Draco and her sat next to each other on a blanket, looking out on a large lake. Alice spoke, "I wish these dreams would just resolve themselves so I can focus on something that I'm supposed to be stressing about, like our wedding." Draco looked at her consolingly, "I wish I could help." "You are," Alice sounded grateful, "I know everything I possible can about that reality." Looking back over the lake, Draco added, "Except for your fate." Alice nodded, "Maybe this is what my grandfather said I was ready for. I have to resolve both realities before I'm allowed to move on."

The memories broke and Snape looked at Alice slightly bewildered, not at all expecting what he encountered in her mind.

"I may need your help, perhaps not now, but in the future," Alice said immediately, expecting his reaction.

Snape reverted to deep concentration, immediately turning away from Alice. "You possess dangerous information on the fate of this world. If it falls into the wrong hands…Who else knows?"

"No one, not even my grandfather," she said quickly.

"Keep it that way," he said sternly.

Alice nodded, "I'll learn Occlumency, I know it's necessary."

Snape added, "And it's imperative that you refrain from telling me anything of my fate or others."

"No one's fate except my own is at stake," Alice confided, "In my world, upon recollection of my existence, Dumbledore foresaw tragedy in my future. That's why he suppressed my magical gene and I grew up as a muggle with no recollection of my ancestry." She paused briefly before continuing, "Then I wrote a book expressing a hypothetical world in which magic exists; I reiterated events from the later half of the twentieth century with surprisingly accuracy. It ended up getting me suspected and charged by the Ministry for working against their statute of wizarding secrecy. That's how I met Draco while also discovering my ancestry. After the trial, I saw my grandfather in a trance and he lifted my enchantment telling me I was ready, but for what I didn't know. I'm assuming it was to resolve this alternate past that I could've lived."

"You have two existences that need to be reconciled," Snape knew of its possibility, even if it was an extremely rare occurrence. He said slightly dismayed, "It may have been a mistake to have told me."

"But you suspected something. I was informed that I'll be given clues to my path here. One is Draco, there's something about our relationship that I need to change. But I don't think I can do this alone, especially with what will happen next year." Snape then looked at Alice and he could see the maturity in her eyes. Being on the verge of pleading, she said to him, "Draco says you're an honorable man, loyal and brave beyond measure. I would not have confided in you otherwise."

Despite feeling the weight of another loaded responsibility, Snape conceded to assist her, adding, "I cannot guarantee your safety."

"I don't expect heroics. You know my truth as I already know yours," she said boldly, referring to his true allegiances, "I just want to survive, so I can live my life."

The scene changed and Alice found herself seated alone at the very back of the Hogwarts Express, as it returned to London for the start of the holiday break. She realized that her grandfather kept his word and gave her back her CD player, since she heard slow electronic melodies playing in her ears. She was resting her chin on the back of her hand, watching the hills drift by outside her window. Having Snape on her side made her feel slightly more relaxed about her predicament, which would get tenser with time. She knew this was the calm before the storm.


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Plan to reread some of book seven before venturing there, or may need to see the film before getting it right. But I will try my best to update soon!

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Another week passed and the TriWizard Tournament was winding down. However, this week was declared a curriculum integration week and Alice would be hosting Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students in several of her Muggle Studies classes. The course had just started its globalization and muggle media section, which Alice thought should be of interest to those who knew nothing of muggle communication networks. At first, the Durmstrang students were quiet, preferring to stare blankly at her PowerPoint slides and videos. They were even resistant to speak during smaller group sessions. She wondered if they hadn't heard of muggle technology before or were politely refraining from imposing their views in unfamiliar territory. That was until during the open discussion section of the class when one young man asked the point of studying muggles, suggesting that it would be akin to having a class on cattle. He was quickly and surprisingly rebuked by a Slytherin student, who boldly declared that it was their responsibility to understand who we share this world with and if he had any understanding, declaring outright that he didn't, then he would not refer to muggles as animals. Alice had never felt so proud of being a teacher before and she quickly awarded Slytherin House points on behalf of the young lady who spoke out. It was a brief high before the low of encountering Ivar Kramstad later that afternoon in the teacher's room. He was particularly angry after hearing that one of his students was humiliated in her class.

It happened during the afternoon break time when many, if not most of the faculty were there having a cup of tea and reading that morning's _Daily Prophet_. Alice quickly defended her open discussion, bearing in mind that other professors were also weary of her methods, saying that no viewpoint produced in her class could go unchallenged by others and perhaps, and she said this in the most scathing tone she could produce, his school should teach his students to provide evidence before making sweeping claims. Of course, what started out as an attack on her teaching methods soon became personal when Kramstad accused Alice of being unfit to teach wizards and witches, since it was obvious she knew nothing about them or their society.

Before the conversation escalated further, Headmistress McGonagall stepped in and led Kramstad away, trying to reiterate the value of having his students meet alternate viewpoints. Alice knew she perhaps started the impoliteness with her remarks, but considering the man she was way past common courtesies. While Draco had never seen Alice get so heated before, he attributed her slight outburst to stress, with no knowledge of her former run-in and major distrust of the Durmstrang professor.

"Hey," he said to her quietly as her fingers massaged her scalp to relieve the built up tension, "Why don't you leave your grading till tomorrow. You need a break."

Alice knew he was right. That week she had started Occlumency lessons with him, revealing several past memories she would have preferred to keep to herself. One was her mother's death; Draco watched as the young child shook the lifeless body of her mother and sat next to her in silent confusion before being found by her father hours later. It was a memory embedded deep in the recesses of her mind; one that she would have preferred not to relive or to share. Draco apologized profusely, but Alice couldn't speak right away, as if by reliving it again, it traumatized her speech ability.

Placing a hand on her back, Draco added encouragingly, "I'll come over later with dinner. Just try to get some rest."

Feeling touched by his concern, she willingly did as he said, thinking a nap would do her good. Her sleep schedule was still off and she worried that she might be contracting a cold. Returning via Floo Network and then apparating to her flat, she changed into her lounge wear and crawled into bed. It wasn't until laying there that she realized how tired her body felt. Melting into the mattress, her mind drifted into the other realm.

_Dream 8_:

The holidays were over and the students had returned a few weeks ago to Hogwarts. Now rumors of Alice's ancestry were eclipsed by rumors of her relationship with Draco Malfoy. The incident at Slughorn's Christmas Party where she called Draco her date spread like wildfire through the school, though she found it hard to believe anyone would actually think they were dating. She hadn't spoken to him at all since returning from holiday, except for occasionally passing him in the hallways. He was looking thinner and paler than before and despite her concerned glances, he completely ignored her. She also hardly saw him in the dining hall at the usual times and she wondered if he was even taking time to eat.

Besides her concern for the Slytherin, student worries were taking over her life as she continuously studied for the O.W.L.S. and her muggle university entrance exams. She couldn't remember the last time her mind wasn't mulling over something educational or a day where she wasn't in the library looking something up. Luckily, she had stopped worrying about running into Pansy Parkinson, who had perhaps finally given up on trying to rekindle her relationship with Draco. At least there were rumors of her snogging other Slytherins in the halls.

The dream started with Alice walking alone in an upstairs corridor, hoping to find a quiet place to practice her muggle reading comprehension when she spotted Draco walking to the next hallway. She quietly followed him but when turning the corner he vanished. Remembering what her Draco told her, the Room of Requirement appears to those who need it. Thus, Alice assumed he had found his way into the secret chamber. Deciding to wait for his return, she sat herself down on the stone floor and leaned her back against the wall. After finishing about fifteen minutes worth of passage reading, she noticed the wall in front of her was slowly revealing a doorway. She quickly stood up, expecting Draco to emerge at any minute, but he didn't. Apprehensive but curious as to why the Room of Requirement would reveal itself to her, she slowly walked through its opening. The large space looked like a repository of antiques, which were piled high atop each other. The junkyard seemed to flow far back into the room's ongoing recesses. She worried about getting lost in the maze of things and never finding her way out. Tiptoeing cautiously, hoping not to startle Draco once she found him, she heard something, it was faint, but it sounded as if someone was crying. "Could it be?" She thought as she walked towards the sound.

"Is someone else in here?" she called out, not wanting him to think she intentionally followed him.

"Who's there?" he replied quickly and sternly. He shuffled to his feet since he was seated on the floor.

"Draco, is that you?" Alice asked as she came upon him; noticing his eyes showed the remnants of tears.

"Why are you here?" he asked callously, his eyes narrowed and he looked on her with suspicion.

"I don't know," Alice replied casually, "I saw the door open and I walked through. Are you okay?" She turned the focus back on him, boldly walking closer to him.

"Again, what's it to you?" His eyes glanced briefly at the Vanishing Cabinet nearby, the doors of which were open.

Alice followed his eyes and also saw the device, but she tried not to linger on it for fear of him getting suspicious. But then she didn't know how to word what she wanted to say, "Every time I see you…Am I suppose to not care when it's so obvious you're hurting?"

"You shouldn't care," he said disdainfully.

"I do," Alice replied quickly, not letting what seemed like his disgust by her concern distract her. "You don't have to tell me anything, but if you want to talk. I wouldn't make any judgments."

He slid back down to the floor where he was prior to her arrival. Alice went and sat next to him, waiting for him to speak.

"You wouldn't understand," he said quietly.

"Maybe I would," she said softly.

There were several moments of silence between them, but Alice waited patiently.

"I don't expect to be at Hogwarts next year," he stated bluntly, looking blankly in front of him.

"You've made other plans?" Alice asked cautiously.

"I have a job I need to do," again his tone was blank.

"One worth foregoing the last year of your education?" Alice asked surprised.

"There's no choice whether I want to do it or not," he said slightly heated, "It has to be done."

Alice said solemnly, "It must be important then."

"It is," he replied, "That's why I'm not myself this year."

"I often thought you were never yourself," Alice replied.

"What do you mean?" His eyes narrowed at her.

Alice looked at him searchingly, "You play the part of a bully, but you're equally mistreated by other students. I think, like me, you just want to be accepted."

"I'm not like you," he stated slightly perturbed by the insinuation.

Alice accepted his rebuke to her statement, "Who do you want to be like then?"

The question seemed to make Draco think for a moment; perhaps Harry Potter crossed his mind. "I just want more control in my life."

"Your job," Alice asked slowly, "If you're successful at it, will you be free to do what you want?"

"Maybe, I might earn some respect," he considered.

"Respect from others is one thing, but will you respect yourself?" Alice didn't know if this question was too forward.

He glanced at her momentarily before averting his eyes back to the space ahead of him. "See you don't understand," he scoffed perturbed by her ignorance. "I don't have a choice in what I have to do," he reiterated to her.

"You can't choose not to do it?" Alice questioned.

He shook his head, stating briefly, "Then I'm dead." The weight of this truth made his eyes weary as he looked down to the floor.

Alice placed a hand on his shoulder, saying quietly, "I understand better now." It was hard for her not to hold him, as she would in her reality.

"I shouldn't tell you this," he spoke after several moments, "I can't trust you."

Alice removed her hand, "Who can we trust in these times?" she said sadly, "But I know nothing except that the stress of this situation is hurting you. I wish I could help."

"No you don't," he replied to her slightly angered, "You shouldn't. You have to stay out of this, otherwise," perhaps his mind started thinking forward in time. "It's not safe for your kind."

Alice knew what he meant by your kind, he was referring to muggle-borns, "I know. Maybe we both won't be at Hogwarts next year."

He glanced at her again, and Alice smiled at him consolingly. His eyes seemed to question her sincerity. He got up from the floor, seemingly done with the conversation.

Alice also rose, fixing her robe slightly, "Before you leave, I want to apologize for the rumors," she was referring to the topic of them dating, "You've probably taken some flak for it."

Draco nodded in agreement, "I have."

"Sorry," she said sincerely.

He gave her one more searching glance before leaving through the maze of objects. Alice waited a little longer before following him, deciding to take another look at the Vanishing Cabinet as she stood there. Hearing the room's exit close, she walked over to its hinged doors, pulling them open to look inside. There, lying dead, was a little white bird. She wondered if this was an unsuccessful attempt at sending life through the passage. Taking out her wand, she turned the small creature into a stone, and placed it inside a large curio cabinet nearby. She understood now why he was crying, all his work and yet he remained unsuccessful. He was losing hope.

Picking up her bag from the floor, Alice began walking back from where she came, hoping to find her way. But before she could get lost, the dream shifted and she found herself walking amongst other students in the corridor that led to the Great Hall. Up ahead she heard someone call out, "Katie, welcome back!" It was Katie Bell; she must have been released from St. Mungo's and cleared to return to school. She and a group of girls went into the Great Hall but Alice didn't follow them and walked further off to other side of the door. She needed time to think of this day's significance before encountering any situation. But before she could remember, she saw Draco also enter the Great Hall. But yet Alice couldn't remember; her thoughts were confusing her. It was not long before she he emerged, his quickening steps carrying him in the opposite direction. She went to follow him, only to see Harry Potter was already doing the same. Then the account hit her, their fight would occur that day and Draco would be badly injured.

Following discretely behind them, Alice felt conflicted. She shouldn't interfere with this situation, even if she wanted to save Draco from harm, but then why was she encountering it in her dreamscape? She saw Harry continue to turn the corners ahead of her and she could feel her nerves on end and her breathing become unsteady. Then a thought hit her and she turned in another direction, her footsteps quickened into a run before she made it to Snape's office door. She knocked several times, realizing she had no alternate plan if he wasn't there, but the door slowly swung opened and Snape looked at her suspiciously.

"Draco's in trouble," she said in one breath, leading him quickly to the girl's bathroom where she knew the incident occurred.

Alice stopped before the entrance as Snape went in front of her. She hesitated before following; hearing the sounds of spraying water within. She felt apprehensive about seeing the one she loved on the verge of death, even if this was another reality.

Harry was standing there bewildered as Snape brushed by him to stand at the side of the convulsing body of Draco. Alice caught her breath as she saw an immense amount of blood drain from the deep wounds in his chest and face, making the pool of water that swirled around him crimson in color. He seemed to be choking on his own blood. Snape glared at Potter before briefly turning his attention to Alice, who tried to keep the tears from escaping her eyes. She hardly ever cried, but the scene played hard on her emotions; he was in pain and she wanted to rush to his side but couldn't. Snape took out his wand and began chanting incantations and Draco's blood slowly seeped back into his wounds. His convulsion calmed and he was left shivering before becoming unconscious.

Snape quickly berated Harry, giving him detention for the foreseeable future. Not wanting to leave, Alice quietly gathered Draco's wand and his wool vest, which had been soaked with water. She quickly wrung it out in the nearby sink. She followed Snape with these items as he lifted Draco to take him to the hospital wing. Many students had come to see what the commotion was about and Alice did her best to avoid eye contact with them as she left the bathroom. It wasn't until they turned down the corridor of the infirmary that Snape spoke to her, "Don't let your emotions give you away."

Alice tried to hold her head higher, knowing she could momentarily be the twenty-six year old, "Yes, I know," though she didn't know how to turn off her feelings. She then said to him graciously, "Thank you. It was supposed to happen this way, though without my involvement."

As they entered the infirmary, Madame Pomfrey quickly raced to Snape's side, leading him to one of the beds to place the boy's body on. The nurse casted a spell which instantly dried his clothing and warmed his body, and then she left to look for the right potion to help speed his recovery. Alice quietly hung the damp vest she collected off his bed's rot iron footboard and then she placed his wand on the small table nearby. Before leaving his side, she glanced down at him, becoming aware of her alternate self's feelings, making it hard to leave. At that moment, Draco's eyes fluttered open and he looked at her momentarily before closing them again. Alice convinced herself that he'd be okay and she backed away from his bed and headed for the door.

The dreamscape changed and Alice was entering her grandfather's office, she couldn't help but feel that this may be the last time she would see him alive. The office was quiet as she stepped in, but then she heard her grandfather say cheerfully, "Remember what you said Alice, when we first met."

Alice smiled thinking back on the memory that wasn't quite her own, "Your letter couldn't have been more vague."

He chuckled, "I always admired your tendency to tell it like it is." He walked from the shadows to the steps nearby, slowly lowering his old body down on them. Alice followed and sat next to him.

"It's gotten me into trouble too often, I'm afraid," she said solemnly.

"I have no doubt as you grow older, you'll learn the importance of listening," he replied encouragingly. "You don't have to agree with what you hear, but always listen to other's opinions. That is how you grow, not only in here," he pointed to his head, "But also in here," he then pointed to his heart.

Alice loved his ability to put more meaning into simple advice. She then asked something she was curious about, "When you found out about me, were you worried?"

He looked at her with one arched eyebrow, "I was surprised…but worried for myself to become a grandfather? No. You have given me more joy than a man at my age should need. But worried for you? That's something else. I want you to succeed, to be happy, to find love," he paused momentarily, "I worry about not being there when you need me, I worry about your safety in the coming year, but I'm comforted by your intelligence and, even if you're not a Gryffindor, I know you hold a certain amount of bravery inside you."

Alice smiled, "I definitely get most of that from you grandpa."

Dumbledore placed an arm around her, "Stay true to yourself Alice, and you'll succeed. Trust me."

The dream then shifted and Alice found herself in the library with a stack of books nearby; she was cramming for the pending O.W.L.S. The dim lighting meant it must have been nighttime, and she confirmed this suspicion by glancing at a nearby window to see only darkness on the other side of the textured glass. It was late and the library was entirely deserted. Closing the Potions textbook in front of her, she grabbed her bag and headed for the exit. Thinking back to the conversation she had with her grandfather that morning, she felt saddened but strangely comforted. In a way, encountering this alternate reality gave her more time to spend with him, as well as new memories of their time together. It made her family connection more real than it had ever been.

The hallways were also dim as she walked through them and her footsteps echoed around her. She made it to the stairs but became unsure of which direction to go in. It was another moment where the dreamscape was not immediately providing her clues. Alice didn't know whether her grandfather would meet his death that night or if she would encounter something else. She decided to check if Draco was still in the hospital wing, because if he was then perhaps it wasn't what she first suspected. As she entered the third floor's main corridor, she spotted a tall dark figure leaving at the other end. An uncomfortable knot began forming in her stomach and she felt slightly sick. After walking past several students snogging, she entered the hospital wing to find Draco's bed deserted. Her heartbeat quickened, "Tonight's the night," she thought and though apprehensive, she forced herself to move towards the tower, pondering her involvement along the way. She didn't know if this would put her in danger or if it was vital to changing her fate; nothing was clear anymore.

Alice crept through the hallways, keeping near the sidewalls. She knew there soon would be Death Eaters in Hogwarts and a forthcoming battle when the members of the Order arrived. She quickly checked that her wand was in her robe's pocket, realizing this was perhaps the first time she thought she might need it. As she got closer, she heard some commotion at the far end of the hallway behind her and she quickened her steps to round the corner up ahead. The entrance to the tower's stairway was nearby, but before she reached it, she heard a woman cackling and what sounded like shots being fired from the corridor she had just left. Fear froze her momentarily and she expected someone to round the corner after her at any second. Gathering her senses, she ran for the tower's entrance, but the door was locked. Completely forgetting her first grade charms, she continued to pull on the handle, hoping to force her way in. This proved futile and a moment later she felt a hand grab her wrist, dragging her off to the side.

It was Draco, "You need to leave," he said with mixed emotion, pulling her quickly in the opposite direction of the approaching Death Eaters.

"What's happening?" Alice asked, despite knowing pieces of the plot all too well.

Still holding her wrist with his hand, Draco grabbed something from his jacket pocket and placed it her hand, closing her fingers around it. "Go, it's not safe here," he yelled before releasing her. Fear was all too apparent in his eyes before he turned from her and headed back to the tower's door.

Alice quickly looked at what he gave her; it was the photograph of her mother and her that she thought she lost at the beginning of the school year. Draco was nearby when Pansy tripped her, making her lose hold of the book it was in. He must have found it and kept it in his possession all this time. Tears welled in Alice's eyes, and she looked at him one last time, and even though his back was turned she said, "Thank you."

Sounds of the battle enabled her to move again, but not before encountering Professor Snape heading in the opposite direction. Alice stopped and gave him a brief nod that acknowledged the weight of his task ahead. He paused and gave her the same acknowledgement before continuing his path. Despite feeling safe in the proximity of Ravenclaw's dormitory entrance, Alice felt her body shudder and she slid to the floor. She knew her grandfather was in his final moments. She looked again at the photograph she had not yet released from her hand. Her mother seemed to smile at her encouragingly and she could hear her voice, "Always approach your fears Alice, once you do that, you quickly find out there's nothing to fear." As a child, her mother had her investigate all her fears: the monster in the closet proved unfounded once opening the doors at night and her fear of spiders disappeared after learning more about them at the local zoo. Even death lost its worry for her once she accepted her mother was gone. After a few moments of reflection, Alice picked herself off the floor and headed to the front courtyard. There she found her grandfather's body lying on the lawn. Despite the ominous Dark Mark swirling in the black clouds above her, she walked over to him unafraid, kneeling herself beside him. She gently closed his eyes and brought his one outstretched hand to his chest, holding it momentarily. Alice then kissed his forehead lightly as a way to say goodbye before she returned to the castle. She knew she wouldn't be at the funeral; her father would most likely make her return home immediately after hearing the news. "It had to happen," she thought to herself, as a mean of consolation. Now, the question was what would happen to her next.

"Alice?" Draco spoke softly, pushing a strand of hair from her face. He was seated next to her on her bed in her small London flat, having just apparated in. She had been napping for several hours.

Alice stirred slightly before opening her eyes to see him staring down at her. She stared back at him before the image became blurry and tears began falling down her cheeks. Confused but concerned, Draco quickly reached for her and pulled her close, letting her cry into his chest. It was rare occurrence, and he couldn't remember ever seeing her cry like this before. He didn't speak and just held her.

After a few moments, Alice spoke through her tears, "He's dead."

Draco knew that meant Dumbledore; that she was at the end of his sixth year.

As the tears stopped, she moved away from him, in order to look at his face, "The emotions are so real. I didn't expect to feel integrated with them like I was this time."

"What happened?" Draco said searchingly.

"Everything you said was going to except…" she paused thinking back, "You gave me back my photograph." It was the moment that held the most significance.

"Your photograph?" Draco asked confused.

"I was able to reach out to you. I entered the Room of Requirement; it just let me in like it knew I needed to be there. And I found you broken down. I never thought I'd see you like that…You confided in me, not what your mission was but that you had no choice in what you had to do, that your life depended on it. Then I saw the aftermath of your fight with Potter…I never want to see you in pain again," she cupped a hand to his face.

"Alice," Draco looked at her concerned; he could tell this dream was more emotionally taxing than others before it. "It's okay," he said consolingly, then remembering how close he was to death. "You weren't harmed?"

"No," Alice shook her head, "I was there at the Astronomy Tower's entrance when the battle started, after the Death Eaters entered Hogwarts. But you pulled me aside and told me to leave. And you gave me the photograph I lost at the beginning of the year, the one of my mother and I that I keep in her book." She paused and then added, "You saved me."

Draco was shocked; it seemed uncharacteristic of him at that time. "Do you think it's enough to satisfy the two reality's discrepancies?"

Alice looked away, saddened by the thought, "No, it's not. I have to survive the next year when my connection to Albus Dumbledore is revealed. I'll be at Hogwarts again."


	44. Chapter 44

_A/N_: Just a quick note - Alice is a year younger than Draco so she is going into her sixth year (hence the O.W.L.s the year prior.)

* * *

Alice had to pull herself together if she was to finish her dreamscapes successfully. She knew the next year her secret would be revealed and it would place her face to face with Death Eaters. What would become of her then, she didn't know.

It was late afternoon on Saturday and Alice and Narcissa were having a cup of tea in the green room at Malfoy Manor. They had just returned from hours of wedding gown shopping in London. After several stores worth of pulling all manners of gowns over her head and standing on pedestals in front of 180 degree mirrors, she found what all pending brides term "the one." Upon looking in the mirror, both her and Narcissa knew that it was indeed "the one," as none before had fit her style so impeccably. Feeling accomplished and also exhausted, Alice smelled the aroma of her hot earl grey tea that filled the fine china tea cup she held as she listened to the sounds of water crashing into the fountain nearby as a form of therapy. Despite being the winter months, the green room maintained its warmth and sunshine, which Narcissa assured her was pure magical house décor.

"…I noticed something's been bothering you dear," Narcissa said concerned after sipping some tea, "I asked Draco, but he said it was not his place to say. I do hope everything's alright."

As Narcissa asked this question, Lucius entered the green room. Alice knew she wasn't completely herself, even if it was easy to explain away by saying it was due to her heavy workload. But she realized that if she was unsuccessful changing her alternate past in these dreams, the tragedy she was trying to avoid could fall into her own realm. Narcissa and Lucius deserved to know.

"I apologize for not telling you sooner. It's complicated," Alice started, prompting Lucius to stare at her suspiciously. "Please, Mr. Malfoy, sit down." She motioned for him to take a sit next to Narcissa, who placed a hand on his arm after he sat. It immediately made Narcissa concerned.

Alice continued, "When I started my teaching position at Hogwarts, I began having dreams. In them I was a student there during the same time as Draco. It felt so real and comprehensible but I thought it was just my brain being overworked, because what I initially dreamt about, I encountered during the day teaching. I went through the sorting hat ceremony after I witnessed it; I found myself in the Potions classroom after I visited Draco the first time. But it became less clear when I started encountering students and professors who I had no recollection of actually being at the school at that time but who were in fact there," she paused remembering, "Draco insisted I talk to Professor Trelawney and Professor Vector, to discuss what these dreams meant. Supposedly, before my grandfather decided to repress my magical gene and change the course of my future, he had already witnessed the ending of this alternate reality and thus sought to avoid it. I assume it was my death. However, this alternate past of mine still exists and it's trying to reconcile with my current life. If I'm not successful in altering that past in my dreamscape, the ending could follow me here. I could die."

Strain furrowed in Narcissa's brow as she contemplated what this meant, while Lucius looked surprised by this occurrence. Narcissa asked, "So you enter this world in your dreams and live that life?"

"Yes, the dream fluctuates through time. So far, I've cascaded through five years at Hogwarts seeing only key moments from those years," Alice replied.

"How do you know what to change?" Narcissa asked.

"I was told I would be given clues as in the pieces that were rewound for me. It's my relationship with Draco," Alice paused, "But I think what will be pivotal is how I handle the following school year, when the Death Eaters take over the school."

"You're already at the war?" Narcissa said surprised.

"Being the granddaughter of Dumbledore doesn't bide well," Lucius added.

"No, it doesn't," Alice agreed, "But right now my documents say I'm muggle-born. Even then Dumbledore was afraid of familial affiliation. But with the Ministry's commission, I would no doubt be imprisoned. But according to my grandfather who I've had many discussions with in my dreams, my birth documents have been charmed to alter when the timing is right. I have a feeling I will be allowed to study at Hogwarts that year, but I don't know what that means for my safety or if Voldemort would care of my existence."

"To do this alone," Narcissa started, "It's dreadful."

"I've confided in Severus Snape, he knows of my mission and I'm hoping since he'll be Hogwart's headmaster, perhaps…"

Lucius interrupted, "Snape, well at least we know now that he was loyal to your grandfather."

Alice nodded, "I also have Draco, I wouldn't say we've become friends, but he helped me out of a situation which may have been the tragedy I was avoiding."

"Oh Alice, we had no idea," Narcissa consoled, "And here we are today thinking of nothing but the joy of your wedding when you're going through so much."

"I should have told you sooner," Alice replied ashamed, "I didn't think the emotions of these dreams would affect me as they are. I'm not a witch in any respectable sense, I've never been in a battle, and now I'm being forced to do things I don't think I'm ready for."

During this time Draco entered the room, hearing the words she spoke and realizing how hopeless she felt.

Her pathetic appeal made Lucius sneer at her and he said sternly, "If you intend to become a respectable member of this family, then you become ready. You make survival your number priority, you learn to cast spells without hesitation, and you don't give up if all seems hopeless. I won't have my son marrying someone who's afraid."

Alice held her head high, feeling like she was being shouted at by a drill sergeant. Draco immediately knew this was his father's way of showing he cared, as strange as it seemed.

Lucius continued, "I do hope Draco is teaching you Occlumency, you'll need it."

Draco joined the conversation, sitting in the chair next to Alice, "We've been working on it."

"What spells do you know, for fighting?" Lucius then asked.

Alice hesitated, "Disarming, blocking…" She hadn't focused on actual fighting.

"You'll need more than that if you're to survive the battle of Hogwarts," he then said sternly to Draco, "Haven't you taught her anything?"

Narcissa interrupted, "I think he has dear, Alice has only been using magic for half a year."

"But he's grown soft, obviously," Lucius replied disdainfully, "If you won't teach her how the Dark Arts then perhaps I should."

Draco was shocked that his father would even offer, as was Alice.

Alice spoke, turning her attention to Draco, "I think he's right, if this war was how you said it was, then I'll need to know more than defense."

Narcissa added, "We can all teach you something. It's been awhile but even I have some effective spells in my arsenal."

Alice truly felt the support of her soon-to-be family. The war had left them harsh memories and to know that Alice was going to experience the same period of history, albeit in her dreams, made each of them slightly weary. Even Lucius felt a strange obligation to assist her, for he couldn't imagine the state of his son's well-being if he were to lose this girl he too obviously loved. Both Lucius and Narcissa would teach her spells along with Draco, given her a worthy arsenal in case she needed it. It would be another week before she started to dream again…

* * *

_Dream 9_:

Alice found herself lounging on Laguna Beach, her bare toes were digging into the warm sand, a wide brim hat covered her face from the sun, and the sound of the waves crashing ashore in front of her soothed her ears. The summer was coming to an end and her father had rented a beach house for them to enjoy for the last two weeks she had off. She was leisurely flipping through a fashion magazine trying to ease her brain after taking the SATs for her first time that morning. Though she was going to take the dreaded test again the following summer, prior to university application deadlines, she hoped this first round would give her a rough idea of what she needed to work on during the year. Well, at least that was the plan prior to recent developments in the British wizarding world.

As predicted, her father withdrew her from Hogwarts immediately after hearing of her grandfather's murder, making her miss the funeral. Fearing, but perhaps not quite understanding the dangers brewing in wizarding world, her father then sought to place Alice in a muggle high school. While at Hogwarts, she had successfully completed her home schooling levels and was eligible to start her junior year. Except Alice knew that unlike in the past, attendance at Hogwarts would be mandatory so the Ministry, now controlled by the Death Eaters, could weed out the muggle-born students. She also knew that on August 1st, they initiated the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, forcing all muggle-borns to report their ancestry. As she sat there seemingly carefree and sun-kissed, muggle-borns from all over the country were being convicted of "stealing" magic and being sent off to Azkaban. If Alice did not show up on September 1st with her fellow classmates, snatchers would be dispatched to find her, putting not only herself, but her whole family in danger. Despite living out of the country, their home was well documented and the risks of running outweighed that of facing the inquiry.

When the notice of Hogwarts mandatory attendance arrived at Alice's home two weeks ago, she had a difficult time explaining to her father why she had to follow it. She did not tell him about the commission or how, if revealed, her familial connection with Dumbledore could put her in mortal danger. Her father only knew the country was unstable and that if the school's headmaster could be murdered on school grounds, then that was no place for his daughter.

"Alice," A woman's voice called from behind her, "Dinner's almost ready."

She turned to see Jane waving her over from the steps of the beach house. She was incredibly pregnant, her belly rounding out from her white tunic; reminding Alice that if she ran she would also risk the lives of unborn brother and sister. Alice had to trust her grandfather's judgment and enter the lion's den with her head held high.

The scene changed and Alice found herself seated on the Hogwarts Express, having had a short stay at Uncle George and Aunt Marla's home before heading to King's Cross Station. The significance of the previous scene at the beach now weighed heavily on her mind. Alice wondered whether in the alternate life that her grandfather foresaw, she hide only to be caught or killed by the snatchers. Or perhaps it was her family that was harmed. If she avoided that tragedy was she simply walking into another? She pondered this as the train slowly etched its way towards Hogsmeade Village, noting the staidness of her fellow classmates who perhaps could sense how different this year would be. Alice waited for what she assumed would happen next.

On route, the train simply came to a stop. Ministry workers, who were most likely Death Eaters, had come to round up the muggle-born students, not even allowing them to see Hogwarts before being taken away. Alice quietly stood up, placed her feet in her flats, collected her bag and walked towards the front of her compartment.

An overly pleasant voice then sounded through the train as if there were speakers hanging on the ceilings: "This is the Ministry of Magic, several students will be making a short trip to the Ministry to be interviewed about their family history. Will the following students please report to compartment four…"

As the names began to be called, it was obvious they were taking only muggle-borns. She wondered if they didn't acknowledge this in their announcement in order to fool the new students from knowing any better. Alice's name was called, along with Hermione Granger's, who was obviously not there. As Alice passed through Slytherin's compartment, she was jeered at. "Bye bye mudblood," one student said as she passed by. Seated alone was Draco, whose expression, though dulled from recent experiences, expressed surprise at seeing Alice, perhaps thinking she would be on the run this year as most muggle-borns were. Alice's eyes briefly met his as she walked by, and she gave him a slight smile, recognizing his past effort to keep her from harm as well as the kind gesture of giving her back her treasured photo. Behind this glance, which went from surprise to forced blankness, Alice could sense the tension of his current life. Most likely going to Hogwarts was preferable to staying at the Manor which had become Voldemort's headquarters.

As she reached compartment four, having come from the back of the train, Alice stood alongside mostly new students; young children who had not even been sorted into their houses yet. They were probably oblivious to what would happen next. Alice towered above them as she walked through and the Ministry worker stared her down as she got closer to him. She flashed her identification, proudly showing her California driver's license which she got that summer. "McNally," Alice said to the dangerous looking man in black robes, "Let's get this over with." He sneered at her boldness, but ignored her all the same. The students were escorted through the side doors to a Ministry car, which, although looking like a standard size van, was magically modified to provide a bus sized space for them to be seated. The Ministry workers then handed each student a questionnaire, which required them to fill in their family tree. The first years looked at each other confused, unaware that their blood ties would gain them a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Alice quietly filled in the spaces provided, completing her father's side first. She paused briefly before writing "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" in the space provided for her grandfather on her mother's side. She reminded herself that she was doing what her grandfather told her, "_H__ide the truth until it specifically asked of you, until your freedom depends on it__.__"_ After finishing the form, she handed the paper to the head worker who took it without bothering to look at the words she had written down. He then asked her for her wand, specifying falsely that it would be returned once the interview was concluded. It was a little after this that the car arrived at the Ministry.

The students were immediately escorted from the back entrance to the dungeons to be "interviewed," but in reality they were being tried in the courtrooms for the crime of "stealing" magic. Immediately Alice felt the atmosphere change, it became cold and dismal. Demeantors were stationed to guard them as they would wait for their trial behind bars. The first years shrieked in terror, having never seen such dark creatures, even in their wildest imaginations. Alice, although prepared for their presence, could not help but feel the terror they protruded around them. She grabbed a young girl who had frozen in her tracks, pulling her by the arm. "You can't stop, you must keep going," Alice said sternly, hoping to save her from the Demeantor's Kiss that would be upon those who resisted. Soon Alice became unsure if her feeling of sadness was from the Demeantors or from the young students around her who were confused, frightened, and crying. They would wait in the cold for several hours before being called one-by-one into the courtroom. Alice could tell them nothing and she felt guilty for her inability to provide them any comfort. She could only meditate in her own space, trying desperately to clear her mind of the fear the Demeantor's brought.

"McNally," the guard called from the outside corridor. Breaking her meditation, Alice breathed in deeply, hoping she was prepared for another trial but she felt as uncertain as she did the first time. With her head held high, she walked the long corridor to the circular courtroom, finding her way to the center chair. She had a flashback of standing there the last time; however, the Demeantors seemed to take the place of the press. In front her, surrounded by several Ministry workers, no doubt some of them Death Eaters, was Dolores Umbridge, who conducted herself in her usual prim and proper manner. Upon Alice's ascension to the center podium, Umbridge was handed the questionnaire she recently filled out. The woman glanced at it in a perfunctory fashion, her nose upheld and a snobbish smile on her face. It reminded Alice of some of Narcissa's friends who she reluctantly met after getting engaged. After two seconds, Umbridge's eyebrow raised and she stifled her laugh.

Placing the paper down, Umbridge asked condescendingly, "You do realize Miss McNally, that there are serious repercussions for forging your family history."

Alice held her head high, "I didn't forge it. That is my family history."

Umbridge looked at Alice as if concerned for her sanity, "You seem to think that Albus Dumbledore is your grandfather."

Several of the workers nearby began laughing, thinking this girl made an extremely poor attempt at faking her blood ties. But Alice smiled at the mention of his name in relation to hers, "You can verify with the documents the Ministry has on file."

Umbridge was mildly perturbed at being called on to do extra work in her already incredibly busy schedule, but something about Alice's certainty made her think it necessary. She looked at a nearby worker and flicked her head, as if saying to retrieve the said documents. Next to Umbridge stood an imposing figure who didn't laugh with the mention of Dumbledore's name, instead he looked at Alice suspiciously.

"If you are lying, Miss McNally," Umbridge started, her overly polite tone breaking slightly, "It will be treated as a crime of a high degree."

"I understand," Alice replied politely, she maintained confident that her documents would vindicate her.

Moments later the Ministry office worker returned with Alice's file, which was created when she was child, prior to her invitation to attend Hogwarts. Still holding her nose high, Umbridge opened the folder and skimmed its contents. As she turned page by page, Alice looked on hopeful when Umbridge's haughty expression turned to one of unease.

"How can this be?" She whispered quietly as she placed down the file; it was quickly swooped up by the man sitting next to her, who did the same go-through.

After finding Dumbledore's Phoenix symbol emblazoned throughout her file, he declared, "This is the original document, but it was charmed for years by Dumbledore himself."

"I can see that!" Umbridge said angrily, hating to be spoken over.

Alice spoke as politely as she could, "I'd like to return to Hogwarts now, to continue my studies."

"That's for us to decide," Umbridge yelled at her.

"Yes, of course, but with attendance being mandatory this year…" Alice started but was interrupted by the man who held his suspicions.

"Perhaps we should ask Hogwart's headmaster if she should return," he suggested.

Placing this in the hands of Snape would make things easier for Umbridge, who would have preferred going through Voldemort's right hand man instead of the Dark Lord himself. Alice also couldn't have been more supportive of the suggestion and hope she'd concede to it.

Umbridge stated, "Fine, contact Headmaster Snape, he'll know what to do." Then she looked at the Demeantors circling nearby, "Take her back to the dungeons."

Alice was escorted away, the Demeantors encasing her on each side. She felt trapped, as if drowning in a cold, dismal abyss. She would spend another hour behind bars before being released, watching as the rest of the students were led one-by-one to the courtroom never to return. When it was time, she was taken by the Demeantors to a long corridor where on the opposite end stood Snape, who waited alongside Umbridge. As she was left to walk on her own, Alice could feel the warmth slowly return to her veins and the sanity to her mind. She overheard Snape talking, "It's wise to keep her at the school until the Dark Lord decides otherwise."

Umbridge stated haughtily, "Good, she's your problem then."

Standing before them, Alice brazenly said to Umbridge, "I'd like my wand back now."

Umbridge flicked her head at a nearby assistant who handed it to Alice. It was the first time after being reunited with it that she felt the attachment it had to her.

Umbridge left them without another word while Alice followed Snape out an unmarked exit. Snape held out his arm, which Alice recognized was for disapparating.

"I can apparate myself," Alice said assuredly.

But Snape rejected, "Not without an Apparition License."

Alice realized her mistake, forgetting they could probably trace such things, "Good point." She took his arm and they quickly apparated to outside Hogwarts gates. It was late at night but Alice wouldn't have known it; time seemed to stand still in the presence of the Demeantors.

Alice asked as they walked, "Does Voldemort know?"

"Don't say his name," Snape said sternly, "It can be traced."

After another faux pas, Alice knew she needed to be more careful.

Then Snape continued, "Your existence is known and I suggested since you pose no real threat, that you continue your studies here, but that is not a promise of anything." Snape said pointedly, knowing Voldemort's desires could change on a whim, "And what pray-tell are your intentions?"

"To make it through the year, I don't plan on joining any rebellions," Alice said.

"Wise, you will be watched more than others," Snape cautioned as they entered the gates, finding the front courtyard dismal and eerie.

Being leaving her at the main entrance, Snape reminded her, "You are to report for your O.W.L.s at 8 am sharp, otherwise you won't be joining any classes either." With Dumbledore's death at the end of her fifth year, the O.W.L.s were postponed until she returned from break.

Alice nodded before he left, she hadn't forgotten. "Professor Snape," she called to him as his back was turned, "I appreciate that you're helping me on top of everything else that has been asked of you."

He paused, acknowledging her gratitude which seemed to be rarity in his life.

The scene shifted and Alice found herself turning in her O.W.L.s test to Professor Flitwick; feeling a weight suddenly lift off her shoulders after the papers left her fingertips. It was a full day of tests and she had little to no contact with students outside her House or grade. Instead of conducting the testing in the Great Hall, as was customary, heads of House handled the tests for their former fifth years separately. Her fellow housemates were surprised to see her that morning, or at least surprised knowing that the rumors circulating in the prior year of her not being muggle-born were true. They asked what became of the others and she told them, though most had already suspected what happened. So far knowledge of her ancestry was unknown to the school and she wondered how long it would stay that way.

After exiting the testing room, Alice hesitated whether she should just give into her exhaustion and go to bed, having had only four or five hours of sleep before rising that morning. But the sounds coming from her empty stomach prompted her to go the Great Hall. Walking down the center aisle she noted the stares and hushed whispers from her fellow students and she assumed they were just as surprised as her housemates to see her back. It wasn't until she sat down that she found that evening's _Daily Prophet_ sprawled out on the table in front of her. An article aptly titled, _Dubious Dumbledore Hides His Heir at Hogwarts_, was on the front page. It was of course written by Rita Skeeter, following on the heels on her ongoing saga defaming the old headmaster. That July she had unleashed all his secrets in her unauthorized biography, _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_; but this was one secret she had missed completely.

Alice quickly scanned the article looking for her name, but it was not overtly mentioned. However, all clues did lead to her: _"Presumed muggle-born female student going into her sixth year at Hogwarts." _There were no others in the school that fit that description. Skeeter might as well have mentioned her by name. The speculations for why she was hidden were too obviously drawn from Skeeter's infatuation with Dumbledore's sordid past; she was probably intent on having the article act as another advertisement for her book. She suggested he'd be embarrassed by having mated with a muggle; that perhaps his pro-muggle efforts were a façade over his true agenda. Not having read the _Daily Prophet_ all summer, Alice could already gage how much anti-muggle propaganda had infiltrated the press. She felt the same disdain for Skeeter as she did the last time she came under her quill.

Unsure of how to face this on such little sleep and an empty stomach, Alice folded the newspaper, tucking it in her robe; she then grabbed an apple from the basket in front of her before taking her leave, hoping to find solitude in her bed. As she was leaving, a group of Slytherins entered the Great Hall; Draco was at the head of them. With the current situation, him and his fellow pure-blood coterie would be accorded special privileges. Even more than before, they acted like they owned the school.

Crabbe, who was usually more reserved to let others bully, called out, "Look its Dumbledore's bastard. And here we always thought you were a filthy mudblood."

"I'm not sure what's worse," Goyle added, which started a round of laughter. Draco looked on coolly, his hand in robe pockets and his emotion hidden under a blank demeanor.

Alice approached the two boys and glared at them inquisitively, saying nothing, but she knew she made them feel as if she was scanning their intellect. It instantly made them feel uncomfortable.

"You got something to say?" Goyle said to her angrily.

Alice smiled at him and said calmly, "To you? No." She knew overtly ruffling feathers on the first day of school would not be wise and she was simply too tired to care. She took a bite of her apple and turned to pass the group.

"There's no protection for you now," Crabbe said as she went past.

"Thanks for the public service announcement," Alice said smugly as she kept walking, waving her hand in mid-air as she walked.

Crabbe started to go after her, but Draco put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "She's not worth it."

Alice heard his voice; he had again quietly protected her. This oddly made her feel better about the days to come.

The dream shifted and Alice found herself seated in Professor Flitwick's office, as the half-goblin wizard was going through her O.W.L. scores with her.

"As usual Alice, perfect scores on everything. I can now see your family connection. To think, none of us knew," said Professor Flitwick intrigued.

"He thought it was safer that way, at least initially," Alice replied, grateful for the compliment and to hear that her scores didn't suffer from the ordeal beforehand.

"Well," Flitwick began unsure, "This year might be a bit of a test for all of us. The Carrows are at Hogwarts, they're Death Eaters and unfortunately, you will have classes with both of them. Amycus will be teaching the Dark Arts and Alecto, Muggle Studies. They may not take kindly to having you in their class, but I cannot alter your schedule or allot you special privileges."

"I understand professor," Alice knew this information already.

"Alice, I can't help but ask," Professor Flitwick began to ask concerned, "Why didn't you run?"

Alice looked down at the desk in front of her, "I couldn't put my family in danger. And my grandfather said I'd be okay here."

The scene changed and Alice was seated at a desk in the all too familiar Muggle Studies classroom. In the front of the class stood Alecto Carrow, a round faced, stocky woman who looked incredibly unpleasant in demeanor. On the slide projector screen were images of piled up corpses, which Alice recognized to be photographs from WWII concentration camps. While Alecto should be utilizing such graphic images to teach historical circumstances and hopefully preach tolerance, instead she was advocating the mass genocide of muggles, saying that the natural order, which for her was hierarchy of magical people over muggles, would bring these images back to reality. Although out of character for a student who always spoke her mind, Alice remained silent for the entire class. She knew better than to speak out against the Death Eaters, even though she detested the ideology and brainwashing methods being imposed. It was despicable when put face-to-face with it, especially when she was working against the mild prejudiced that remained a decade from this point.

After an hour of gross misinterpretations of muggle history, class was dismissed. But Alecto asked Alice to remain; Luna looked at Alice nervoulys before she left.

Once all students exited the classroom, Alecto stated, ending with a short laugh, "So you're the spawn of Dumbledore."

Alice said nothing, wondering what she could want.

"I think just because of that you've earned yourself detention. My gift to your dear old grandfather," she smirked evilly.

Alice nodded and then asked politely, "When and where am I expected to report?"

"The Dark Arts classroom, seventh period," she replied, seventh period meaning after the days classes had ended.

"Yes professor," Alice replied, before leaving the room feeling pathetic for her compliance.

Upon entering the corridor she was joined by Luna, who waited there for her.

"Alice, what happened?" Luna asked worried.

"Detention, for no other reason than being me," she said blankly.

"Oh my, I heard this morning from Neville that he also has detention for speaking out in her class," Luna said solemnly, clasping her hands in front of her mouth.

"Precisely why I didn't say anything," Alice replied, then realizing the time, "Hey, we better hurry or we'll be late." The two girls began walking briskly to not miss McGonagall's Divination course.

The dream again changed and Alice was walking to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to serve her detention. She had not yet met Alecto's brother, Amycus, since his class fell on another day of the week, but she knew both brother and sister would be behind those doors waiting to perform their sadistic forms of punishment. Alice tried to deny that she was afraid; from what she understood there would be physical punishment involved. She had no clue what her threshold for pain was, but she was determined to remain as stolid as possible through it.

She was joined in the hallway by Neville Longbottom, who was heading in the same direction.

"Hi Alice," he said to her.

"Hey Neville, I heard from Luna you also have detention," Alice said as they kept walking.

"That's right. I disagreed. You?" He sounded proud of standing up against them.

"I'm from the wrong family," Alice replied slightly amused.

"So all this time…" Neville started.

"It was hidden for my safety. As you can see, now that it's known it's not doing me any favors. But without it, I'd be in Azkaban or on the run. I can only hope the Carrows are the worst of who I have to deal with," Alice said solemnly.

"We could use you help Alice, the lot of us from the D.A.," Neville asked, with Harry gone it seemed he had taken charge.

Alice stopped to look at him, "There'll be a time when I can help, but right now I have to be careful. If my resistance is even hinted at, You-Know-Who might take an interest in me."

Neville gauged the seriousness in her eyes, "I understand. Yours is a much more dangerous position to be in."

Alice then said encouragingly, "Keep at it though, Hogwarts needs you."

Outside the door stood two younger students, one from Hufflepuff and another from Gryffindor who had also gotten detention for speaking out during their classes. They were hesitant to enter so Neville and Alice went in before them. Opening the door, they saw the Carrows surrounded by three seventh year Slytherin students: Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco. Draco looked unpleased as he stood there with his arms crossed, while Crabbe and Goyle had sadistic smiles on their faces.

Alecto alerted the group when their victims entered, "So here we are," she said amused at the spectacle of them marching to the front desks to sit down.

"You know why you're here, all of you, except one…" she looked at Alice briefly, "…spoke out of turn and you'll be punished accordingly."

Alice looked at Draco briefly but he averted his eyes, he seemed lost in his own thoughts.

"Jasper Jacobs, is that correct?" Amycus looked disdainfully at the boy seated near Neville. The third year Hufflepuff nodded wearily. "To your feat."

He stood up slowly, looking back and forth from Amycus to Alecto, wondering what was to come.

"Goyle, you first," Amycus said, as Goyle got out his wand with a smirk on his face.

Alice knew what was coming; they were allowing them to perform the Cruciatus Curse on other students, as practice and as punishment.

The young Hufflepuff stood their confused as Goyle raised his wand and chanted, "Crucio!" He was instantly flung back into his chair, wincing and shrieking in pain.

Neville stood up abruptly, yelling "You can't do this!" He went towards Goyle but Alecto quickly hit him violently hard across the face, enough to draw blood from his nose. He stumbled back, holding his ground as Crabbe pulled out his wand on him. Meanwhile, the second year Gryffindor behind Alice began crying, afraid of what would happen to her. Alice just sat there impassive, looking at Amycus and Alecto with her head held high, refusing to give into her emotions. She tried to clear her mind.

"Sit down Mr. Longbottom," Alecto demanded but Neville refused to sit and reached for his wand.

Crabbe interjected, crying "Crucio!" on Neville, knocking him to his knees, the pain too great for him to stand.

Amycus then grew an interest in Alice, who sat their indifferent to the whole situation. He walked over to her and grabbed her tie, pulling and choking her to her feet. "Why would Dumbledore hide you?" He asked, his hand now grasping her neck tighter making it difficult for her to breathe. He stared into her eyes and Alice knew he was trying to read her mind, but she wouldn't let him.

After a few moments, he began laughing, "Someone taught you Occlumency? Very good, very good indeed." He released her, pushing her back. She maintained her balance, and her hands went to fix her collar.

"What? This one, an Occlumens? They don't teach that at Hogwarts," Alecto said intrigued. "Granddad must have worked overtime. Let's see if she can maintain her mind after a little torture. Draco, your turn."

Draco had watched the entire event from the side of the room. Alecto moved behind Alice and grabbed her by the hair to keep her from moving. Draco walked over and Alice's eyes were intent on his but he wouldn't look at her. But after he removed his wand, his eyes caught hers. He saw the same concern for him that she always displayed, a concern that only she had given him.

"Go ahead Draco, you should be able to handle this," Alecto prodded, knowing his failure to produce the Killing Curse on Dumbledore.

Draco's eyes narrowed at Alecto, "Don't tell me what to do," he said annoyed at her belittling, putting his wand back in his robe. He then marched towards the classroom door, slamming it hard behind him.

"Just like his father," Amycus sneered after him. "Oh well," he turned his attention back on Alice, "Crucio!" he cast the curse on her.

Alice felt the spell hit her in the stomach, making her grasp her abdomen which felt like it was on fire. Even though her knees buckled, she didn't fall, as Alecto still had hold of her hair. The pain was enough to make her feel like she could faint, but she didn't, instead it continued surging through her limbs. For moments the pain blocked her senses; she felt like she was drowning and her insides were screaming. Then she heard the young girl behind her sobbing hysterically, bringing her back to her grim reality.

"Let's try again. Legilimens!" Amycus this time tried using his wand to cast the spell, but soon found himself twice unsuccessful.

Alecto interjected, "Perhaps we should leave that to Snape," knowing he was a more skilled Legilimens than either of them.

Though angered by this, he accepted his sister's advice. Alecto tugged on Alice's hair, speaking a warning in her ear, "We'll be watching you. One false move and we'll gladly turn you over to the Dark Lord. He isn't as kind as us." She then released her hair and Alice moved her feet to the door, not looking back as she went.

After exiting the room, she walked to the second floor girl's lavatory. She needed to be alone to regain her sanity. She went over to a mirror and unbuttoned her collar, completely undoing her tie as well. Her neck was full of red marks and felt extremely tender. As she tried to run her fingers through her hair to straighten it, several loose strands fell onto the sink in front of her. Looking back in the mirror, she saw a figure standing several steps behind. She turned quickly to see Draco with his wand pointed at her.

She looked at him wearily, feeling somewhat lifeless after the ordeal. He came closer, not lowering his wand.

"You were spying on me last year, weren't you? For Dumbledore," he asked angrily, his suspicions shouldn't have surprised her but they did.

"No, he told me nothing," she defended herself, "He never wanted me involved with any of this."

"Then what? You did it on your own accord, hoping to stop me," he continued accusing.

"I wanted to help you," Alice said concerned, her water blocked eyes looking into his, "I care about you."

Draco again felt the strange feeling of having someone besides his mother concerned for him, but he was taken aback by the use of present tense. "Care about me? Why would you care about someone who was ordered to kill your grandfather?"

Alice inwardly smiled at his acknowledgement of her words, "Yours and your family's lives were in danger. You had no choice. And you didn't kill him; instead you saved my life that night."

Draco thought back to the Astronomy Tower, going over his actions in his mind as he looked away from her.

"I owe you for that," Alice said to him graciously, hoping his eyes would meet hers again.

"I'm a Death Eater, I shouldn't be helping you," he said annoyed, suddenly realizing his actions were unbecoming of his status.

"Then why are you?" she asked, stepping closer until the tip of his wand hit her heart. "Why didn't you curse me when you were given the chance? Why aren't you doing it now?"

He finally looked her in the eyes, seemingly confused by his desires. Alice brought her hand to his and slowly moved it and the wand it clutched to the side. Draco's breathing deepened as she inched closer, feeling her hand softly cup his face, it forced him to look at her. Alice lingered for a moment, feeling her breathing mimic his. As she leaned in, he met her halfway, kissing her on the lips. It lasted only seconds before they parted, but before he could say anything Alice embraced him, holding him as she knew she needed to. He placed his arms around her and they stayed there for over a minute, feeling a strange security in each other's arms.

After parting, Alice led Draco by hand over to the side, and they sat down next to each other, their backs against the tiled wall.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth about my ancestry when you asked," Alice said solemnly, "I hope from now on I can be more honest with you."

He looked at her surprised, "You apologize to someone who'd bully you for fun?"

Alice said calmingly, "That was you then, not now."

Draco seemed to be going over everything in his head, wondering if being there with her was right, but he didn't leave. "Why did you return to Hogwarts?"

"I couldn't put my family in danger by running," she said. "After today I don't know if it was the right decision."

"The Carrows won't let you walk through this year easily, nor will Snape," he said cautioning her.

"I know," her one hand felt her neck; it still pulsed from being squeezed. "My grandfather told me to stay my course which has always been my academics. I don't plan on changing that this year."

Draco asked curiously, "You're not afraid, of what the Dark Lord might do to you?"

"Of course I am," she quickly replied, "But if I pose no real threat…" She took a deep breath, feeling hopeless in the face of such evil, "I just want to survive this, as you do."

He suddenly felt their commonality in this situation, his hand slowly moved on top of hers on the floor where it laid. "I'll help when I can," he said not looking at her.

Alice smiled at his touch and his words; she looked over to him, "As long as it doesn't put you in danger. If they knew we're…" she paused unsure what they were.

"We're what?" Draco looked at her, meeting the confusion in her eyes.

"That we're together," she said querying his response.

He seemed to think this over as he looked on her face. "We shouldn't be," he said abruptly, removing his hand from hers, as if realizing he made a mistake. He then rose to his feet, saying after, "I can't be with you, you're not…"

"I'm not what is expected of you," Alice interjected.

He seemed troubled by this acknowledgement as he stood there with his back to her. The pure-blood ideology of his parents failed to make sense to him anymore.

Alice also rose to her feet to stand behind him, hoping he wouldn't leave, "I thought you hated expectations."

"I do," he responded standing there motionless, still unsure of his feelings, "It's not that easy."

"Nothing is," Alice said calmly.

He turned around, looking torn, "I'm a Death Eater, you're…" He failed to produce the words.

"I'm someone who cares about you," Alice wished she could mend him. "If you don't feel the same way…"

"I don't know what I feel," he said troubled, "I have no time to feel."

Alice realized how fragile his state of mind must be; with Voldemort at his home, ordering him to do things against his will, mocking and threatening his parents sadistically. She then said quietly, "I understand, I'll be there for you either way." She decided to leave him to his thoughts rather than being seen as applying any pressure to his decision.

She moved to pass by him but he caught her arm, "Alice," she turned meeting him face-to-face, "I care about you too."

Alice's breath caught at that moment and she drifted into his eyes, he moved his hand to her back and pulled her close to him.

After holding her for a few moments, he whispered in her ear, "If they knew we're together…"

"We won't tell anyone," she assured him quietly, breathing in his familiar scent as she held him. "We can meet here every few nights. We'll be discrete."

He felt calmed by her words, "I have to go," he said solemnly, still holding her, "I'm expected to eat dinner with the group, if I'm not there…"

"It's okay," Alice pulled away from him, hoping to reassure him with her smile.

He leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips, a perfect way to end their meeting and the dream.

* * *

Alice awoke in her bed feeling lightheaded, she reached for her neck, feeling pain circling around it. She quickly raced to the bathroom mirror, flipping the light switch on. As her eyes adjusted, she saw red markings on her neck, the same as she saw in her dream. What was happening? Were her dreams and reality merging? She knew she needed to see Professor Trelawney as soon as possible.


	45. Chapter 45

Alice took some mild painkillers and tied a scarf around her neck before leaving to go to Hogwarts, making sure to cover up the bruises that had appeared from her dream. She hoped Professor Trelawney would be in her office that morning so she could provide some clues as to what was happening.

"…Professor Trelawney," she called after knocking on her door twice; it instantly opened for her and she walked into velvet lined room. Trelawney was munching on a bowl of muesli at her desk, while reading an extra thick book that looked like an illuminated manuscript.

"Oh, good morning Alice," she said pleasantly looking at her through her coke bottle glasses, her mouth still munching on oats.

"Good morning Professor Trelawney, do you have some time to talk?" Alice asked politely, seriously hoping she did.

"Oh course, but you must call me Sybill from now on. And if you'd like a bowl, feel free," she said offering Alice some muesli.

Alice nodded at her request but refused the muesli by saying, "No thank you."

"How are the dreams progressing? I heard recently from Draco that you are encroaching upon the war," she asked curiously.

"That's why I'm here," Alice started, "In my last dream, I was choked by a Death Eater called Amycus Carrow," Alice paused noticing Trelawney's nose furl at the name. "When I woke I…" she unraveled her scarf, reveling the bruises on her neck.

Trelawney's eyes went wide and she dropped her spoon in her bowl, it clunked loudly and splashed milk on the book beside it, "You're getting close!"

"Close to what?" Alice asked apprehensively.

"Close to merging the two realities," she responded, "Your dreamscape hit on something similar to your experience here, but in return, what you in experience in that realm could follow you. This is where it becomes dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Alice repeated her words; something about Trelawney's tone made her nervous.

"If you die in your dreamscape, you won't wake up," she said without negative emotion.

Alice thought aloud, "That's how the tragedy I am trying to avoid will befall me."

"Yes," Trelawney then said cheerfully, "But the good news is you're very close to being done."

This was of little consolation to Alice who realized being done could mean one of two things: either she sets the alternate reality on a similar course as her current life, or each comes to a horrible end.

Munching on another scoop of muesli, Trelawney then added, remembering, "The Carrows, yes, I do suggest staying out of their detention."

"I'll keep that in mind," Alice replied before taking her leave. She wondered how she would tell Draco what happened.

She hesitated before knocking on his office door, her scarf still tied around her neck hiding the bruises that were forming. She hated worrying him, but he would be more upset if he found out well after the fact. She knocked knowing he wouldn't expect her at that time.

The door opened magically; Draco was seated at his desk writing. He looked up at her, but then his eyes froze, "Alice? What happened?" He already knew something was wrong.

After going through her dream, she untied her scarf, "…Then I woke up."

He was shocked, "I can't just sit by and let this happen," he said frustrated, feeling useless in the face of her adversity.

"You aren't, at least your other self isn't. We found a similar connection. You're questioning your pure-blood ideology. I just have to bring us to this point," Alice said hopeful in her plans.

"Alice, even when you make it through the Battle of Hogwarts, my parents would never allow their son to be with a half-blood, especially not then. It took them years to come to grips with their failures, years to accept that my views diverged from theirs," he stated concerned.

Despite knowing how right he was, she still cried, "I have to try or I could never wake up."

Realizing it was not his place to doubt her and feeling awful for doing so, he thought about where he placed his hope, "You're right, you've already done things I never thought were possible. You peeled away the layers of my façade, you saw me at my most vulnerable, and you were able to comfort me when no one else could. You may not believe it, I know you're skeptical about such things, but we're soul mates. We're meant to be Alice, in this realm and that one."

Alice thought about what he said, she never believed in fate, then again, she never believed in magic either, "Otherwise it's hopeless, isn't it?"

* * *

It was Friday night and Alice found herself at Malfoy Manor, practicing the Dark Arts in the grand dining hall due to the weather outside being cold and blistery. The winter had hit quite abruptly and Alice longed for those Los Angeles winters in the sun. Upon her arrival, Narcissa requested Loister, the family's house elf, to fetch everyone hot tea and she quickly set ablaze the room's three fireplaces to warm up the long, hallow nave. The dining table was also removed to allow for enough space when dueling.

Alice was slightly nervous; practicing magic with Draco was comfortable, he didn't judge her abilities and respected her limitations. However, Lucius was not quite as polite. His expectations for Alice were beyond her ability level and he was prepared to push her whether she liked it or not. When she began learning with the family less than a week ago, Lucius was keen on belittling her. Alice assumed he was trying to provoke anger, so as to make her counter curses more effective. She, however, found it difficult to get heated over mock verbal abuse, especially if she was to respond by causing harm through force. She quickly learned how passive aggressive her demeanor was, shaped by years of academic civility no doubt, but it didn't bode well for battling. Going there tonight, however, she knew she had to change her tune if she was going to be successful in her dreams. Part of her wanted to be more like the younger Alice, who seemed less reserved when taking on authority.

"The amateur is back for more degradation I see," Lucius chimed belittlingly at Alice when he entered from the side doors.

"Lucius," Narcissa rolled her eyes, "You're not helping the situation by doing that."

"Doing what?" He asked feigning complete ignorance.

Narcissa simply stared him down after that and Alice tried not to laugh at the couple who always mildly butted heads. Draco entered a few seconds later, having come in late from a meeting with McGonagall. He gave Alice a kiss on the cheek and asked how her last class of the day went. She said they just finished their discussion of the internet during which several students questioned why the magical world still bothered with owls.

Lucius looked perturbed by this, "So now we have pro-muggle rhetoric in our schools, whatever happened to objective teaching?"

Alice smiled, "I do teach it that way, pros and cons are part of the curriculum, and students are entitled to their opinions. This time they all seemed to be for the muggle invention."

Lucius looked at her skeptically, while Narcissa added as she walked to a side table, "I'm sure Alice is an excellent teacher." She was being followed by the puny house elf that was holding a tray of tea for all four of them. "Now let's all have some tea before we get started. It's absolutely frigid outside."

"I've always hated the winter," Alice remarked on Narcissa's comment. "It almost made me decide against going to Oxford."

"Why did you return to Britain?" Lucius asked curiously.

"Well, when I applied I thought of it as an opportunity to study at the same school as my mother. When I got in, even though I had other choices, it felt right," she said not giving a concrete answer.

"She's meant to be here," Draco added assuredly.

"You're more willing to believe that than I am," Alice replied.

"Fate is a possibility Alice," Narcissa added quickly. "Especially with your current circumstance. Dumbledore was a smart man; I trust he knew you could handle this path."

"Why wouldn't he just have prepared me in that realm to survive? Instead of splitting the two only to be changed later," Alice queried, though she suspected she'd never have a satisfactory answer.

"Maybe it was the only way it could be changed," Narcissa replied, noting her confusion.

"If anything, at least you're becoming a proper witch. No more muggle ineptitudes keeping you from learning," Lucius said taking a sip of tea.

Though his remark was meant to ridicule Alice's previous nonchalant stance on learning magic, she couldn't disagree with the truth behind it. She realized the other day that she wasn't only accruing the memories of her alternate life, but also knowledge from it. Draco mentioned a potion he was concocting with his fourth year students and Alice knew the ingredients off-hand. It was quite startling for both of them since she never bothered to learn any potions. The same was true of other subjects she neglected to learn. This was a more welcomed occurrence than the bruises she received by being choked by Amycus Carrow. And of course, with more magical knowledge it did help in her ability to duel.

"I doubt any of us would be where Alice is in half a year," Draco said, trying to take the edge off his father's comments.

Alice disagreed, "It's only because I have a photographic memory, so it's a quick reference mechanism even though dueling relies more on intuition, so stopping and thinking doesn't always benefit me."

"That's why we're practicing," Draco said, setting down his cup of tea. "Did you work anymore on conjuring a Patronus?"

"I tried, but I'm having a hard time staying with one happy memory. I'm not sure what would be the most powerful…" Draco knew there would be Demeantors involved in the Battle of Hogwarts, and if Alice could successfully produce a Patronus, then she would be able to resist their devastating Kiss. It was something she needed to know, but it required her own emotional base to start from. Alice continued somewhat hesitantly, "…I realized after my last dream that I'm going to need to know how to do the Unforgiveable Curses."

"But they're illegal to practice," Draco reminded her.

"Maybe illegal to practice but not to learn," Lucius said intrigued; it was a subject he was still quite interested in. "There are ways around Ministry laws, Draco, you know that. Alice just needs the correct incantation, the proper wand movements, and the coaching to mean what she casts. For these spells, you must want to cause harm to your victim otherwise they won't work."

Draco added his concern to his father's optimistic argument, "Dark magic is different Alice, it can corrupt practitioners."

"But what if you use them in self-defense?" She asked, naively thinking it'd be similar to owning a hand gun.

"It's not so simple, not when stunning spells are just as effective," Draco replied.

"I highly doubt she'll become addicted," Lucius interrupted dryly.

"For once Lucius has a point," Narcissa added, even she thought Draco was being overprotective. "I actually believe the Cruciatus Curse would be most useful in her situation."

Alice looked at Draco hopeful that he would concede to it, whether or not he'd be the one to teach her. He had rather stick to defense and stunning spells. "Alright, we'll spend time going over it. We have books that show the proper wand movements as well," he said referring to the family's collection on the Dark Arts in the library.

That evening Alice successfully conjured a shield charm, but failed again on producing a Patronus. She was also becoming faster at blocking spells and casting ones non-verbally. Her stunning curse had become quicker and more powerful, where she could knock her defendant over with it. She did so to Lucius, who had goaded her into doing it, calling her unworthy to take the name of Malfoy. He was rather delighted at her heightened ability. Draco mentioned that it was possible to knock someone unconscious with this spell, though Alice was far from accomplishing that. The Cruciatus Curse was taught without a demonstration, though Alice witnessed its terrible strength when Amycus cast it on her in her prior dream. She was unsure if she could do it, since it required the mental discipline she found difficult. She had to want to cause her victim harm; she had to convince herself, with all her attack curses, that it was beyond just wanting to cause pain, but that to do so was necessary for her survival. It was this war mentality that she had to adopt to be successful.

That night, she was exhausted from the week and from practicing that she fell asleep in Draco's arms as soon as she hit the bed. There was no thought that she would be dreaming that night.

* * *

_Dream 10_:

"Miss McNally," a dark voice called from the front of the room, which Alice recognized as Amycus Carrow. It was her first Dark Arts class, originally being Defense Against the Dark Arts before the Death Eaters took over the school. "Stand up."

Alice stood up promptly, knowing her obedience was more important than her pride.

Amycus began pacing in front of the room, "Now most of you have little understanding of the Dark Arts, having had an improper education until this point. Looking over the previous course's files you haven't even learned to cast non-verbal spells yet, which is unfortunate in itself." He peered now and again at the class disdainfully, "It might displease you to know that one student in your grade has been privileged in her learning."

Some students briefly glanced at Alice, while she wondered what Amycus was getting at. Was he trying to put her classmate's against her? He then started walking towards her, stopping before her aisle. "I'm curious, Miss McNally, what did your grandfather teach you?"

In retrospect, Dumbledore taught her nothing beyond her grade level, though she often snuck upper class textbooks from his office without his knowledge. Any Dark Arts she now knew were courtesy of the Malfoy family in her reality. "I only know a few spells," Alice said slightly hesitant.

Amycus then grabbed her arm and pulled her to the front of the classroom, "A demonstration perhaps," he said after releasing her.

"What should I demonstrate?" Alice asked as all her recent lessons began racing through her head. Her voice sounded hollow, and she refused to look at Amycus or her fellow classmates.

"The Cruciatus Curse," he said intrigued.

Trying to remain unfazed, Alice asked the next logical question, "And what should I demonstrate it on?"

A sadistic smile crossed his face, "Not what, who?"

Alice looked at Amycus surprised, and she could see how much he enjoyed playing these games. He continued, "Now I tediously went through all your O.W.L. scores, seeing who came out on top," he glanced at Alice, "And who came out on bottom." His eyes fell on one of five Hufflepuffs in the class, a rail thin boy named Kristopher Kipp.

"Stand up, Mr. Kipp," he said displeased. "Today you get to try and prove yourself to me. If you can successfully block Miss McNally's curse, you can stay in my class. If not, I'll deem your score unworthy." He then turned his attention back to Alice, "Now Miss McNally, considering your ancestry, this task might be beyond someone like you, not for its skill range, but because of its moral lack. But if you refuse to try your best, I'll have to assume your rebelling against me and we both know where that would lead."

Alice detested his smarmy attitude, but he was playing his game quite well. He knew exactly what would make her comply and she suspected having her attack her fellow classmate was part of an alternate plan to make her just as detestable as the Slytherins in the school.

Kristopher walked to the center aisle; his face was polished with anger. He had obviously not appreciated being deemed lowest in the class or to be pitted against their grade's most disliked student.

"Take out your wands," Amycus called as if it was a battle cry.

Alice knew what she had to do, though she was unsure if she could. It would have been difficult if Kristopher didn't try to curse her first. Before Alice had even taking a breath after retrieving her wand, Kristopher cried, "Stupefy!" Luckily Alice ears picked up on it and she intuitively blocked it, counter cursing him with the Cruciatus Curse. He wasn't prepared and it threw him back, sending him to the floor in pain. Some students jumped from the chairs; another Hufflepuff who was probably Kristopher's girlfriend ran to his side. Luna placed her hands over her mouth, concerned for her friend's forced actions. Other students, however, looked at Alice scornfully, as if she betrayed their trust.

Wiping all emotion from her face, Alice asked the professor, "Will there be anything else?"

Amycus smirked at her, perhaps not expecting her to cast the spell so easily. He had thought she would refuse, seeing such Dark Magic as unbecoming of Dumbledore's granddaughter. "You can sit," he said sounding pleased.

She walked down the aisle past where Kristopher was being helped up by fellow students, dodging angry stares as she went. "Mr. Kipp, perhaps you'd fair better in an extracurricular activity this year. Remove yourself from my class," Amycus yelled condescendingly, enjoying his chance to further belittle the boy.

Alice sat back down in her chair, feeling ashamed again for her obedience. She had to believe that her mission to stay out of harm's way was not by gaining herself a quick ticket to see Voldemort. She just hoped she wouldn't lose herself in the process.

After the lesson ended, Alice was confronted by several classmates in the outside corridor. She noticed the Slytherin students continued past them, uninterested in her actions.

"What was that Alice?" A Hufflepuff asked angrily in her face, "Dumbledore wouldn't let such things happen, yet you participate in it willingly?"

She tried to ignore him by walking out of his path, but she was quickly surrounded by others.

"She doesn't care, you saw her, she didn't even look at Kris when he was on the floor!" One girl shouted.

"You can't just curse someone like that and not care, it's inhuman," A Gryffindor added, "To think the D.A. thought of recruiting you…"

Alice felt cornered and yelled, "Enough!" she undid her tie and collar, displaying the bruises circling neck to them; surprising them. "They aren't playing around. If you disobey, you'll find detention a lot less pleasant than what happened to Kris."

This silenced them momentarily, until Ginny Weasley said with her arms crossed, "You're a coward."

She looked at her in the eyes; Alice accepted this rebuke saying calmly, "I can live with that," which was the closest she could get to telling the truth. "I'll do what I have to do. Now get out of my way," she pushed the Hufflepuff who first stopped her, leaving them behind.

She heard Luna speaking, "You don't think You-Know-Who wouldn't be interested in Dumbledore's heir. We should remember than unlike most of us, she has more reasons to fear."

Alice smiled at Luna's kind remarks and she hoped it'd quell further questions towards what looked like her total obedience.

The scene changed and Alice was heading to the headmaster's office. It was the second week of school and Alice was given detention with Professor Snape, courtesy of Amycus Carrow. Most likely he wanted Snape to check in on her abilities as an Occlumens. She felt eerily uncomfortable walking into her grandfather's old office, since most of it had remained the same. Snape had respectfully unaltered Dumbledore's setup, though it felt darker with the windows closed and less candles than usual.

Alice looked around solemnly; wishing she would hear her grandfather's laugh one more time. She knew he made peace before he departed this world, having lived a full life, but Alice would have wanted to spend more time with him.

"You can sit down," Snape said from behind his desk where he was completing paperwork.

Alice realized her melancholy nature and snapped out of it, finding her way to the chair. "You must know," she said after sitting, "The Carrows are inflicting torture on the students they deem worthy of detention."

Snape looked up at her with one eyebrow raised, "I suspected as much."

"And they're using other students to cast the curses, as practice," Alice informed him.

Snape nodded, but Alice was unsure if he already knew. After he finished writing another sentence with his quill, he said, "I was told that you've accomplished Occlumency."

"Yes, after some difficulty," she said humbly.

"And your knowledge of the Dark Arts?" He must have also heard about her demonstration in class from Amycus.

"Limited, in case it's necessary to do more than defend myself, but it was hastily learned. There seems to be less time between dreams now," Alice replied.

"And has there been a merging on one into the other?" he asked, knowing more about this topic than she realized.

"Yes," Alice sat up slightly more in her chair, "Just recently I woke with residual scars and the knowledge of my education at Hogwarts is being retained."

Snape nodded, "You'll find memories will become less distinct between the two as you near completion."

Alice looked at him skeptically, she wondered what he meant by less discrete but he passed explanation into a new topic. "The Carrows are under the impression that you might contain information on the whereabouts of Harry Potter. Information which, if obtained, would be very valuable in positioning themselves with the Dark Lord."

Alice's stomach dropped; it was a logical suspicion to make. "I should have suspected as much," she said, trying to hide her uneasiness.

"I can vouch for your innocence, however, if you let your guard down or find yourself in the audience of You-Know-Who, I would learn how to manipulate your thoughts appropriately," he added.

"You mean compartmentalize my mind; have them see what I want them to see?" Alice asked, unsure what he meant.

"Precisely," Snape concurred. "It takes mental and emotional discipline, will power that most wizards do not have."

"That doesn't bode well for me," Alice replied unoptimistic.

"Don't underestimate yourself. Your mind is already able to indulge in two realities; this may not be out of reach," he replied.

Alice thought there may not be enough time in her reality to learn this, but in this reality, time went by slower. She had to ask, "Would you be willing to teach me?"

He looked at her searchingly, considering his options. Her ability to change her thoughts when called upon was necessary for his safety as well. "I conceded to Dumbledore to do everything in my power to keep you safe, if this task is necessary, so be it."

The scene changed again and Alice found herself entering the second floor lavatory; she immediately heard a girl moaning as she stepped in. She soon realized it was the ghost who haunted the space.

"Hi Myrtle," she said politely.

"Oh hello Alice," the apparition appeared on top of the one stall; Myrtle then flew upward and landed next to her, asking overly interested, "Will you be meeting your man tonight? I do so enjoy a love story."

"I am," Alice smiled at the pale girl.

"If you die, can I have him?" She asked unabashedly.

Alice looked at her a bit shocked, "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind."

She started giggling obnoxiously before scurrying off. Alice sat against the back wall, pulling out several accumulated _Daily Prophets_ and her Dark Arts textbook from her bag. She had about a half an hour until Draco would arrive; they had spaced their times so to not appear going into the bathroom together. They knew they had to be cautious. Alice quickly flipped through the printed papers, knowing it was probably a waste of time trying to receive real news from this source. The defamation of muggles and muggle-borns seemed to garner the most space amongst the pages. She soon put it down in favor of her Dark Arts textbook; a subject she knew occupied too much of her time right now. She already missed her muggle textbooks which, due to the tense circumstance, were not on her reading list this year.

Draco entered to find her seated comfortably, her legs outstretched and her flats placed next to her. They smiled at each other in a comforting fashion, and Alice felt her stomach flutter at his appearance.

"Studying?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah, it's a new subject for me," she showed him the Dark Arts cover.

"They're teaching it rather blatantly, aren't they? I heard about what happened in your class. I was surprised that you knew the Cruciatus Curse," he said.

Alice tried to correct him, "I've only studied it in a book; that was the first time I cast it."

"You're an impressive witch Alice," he said unashamed. "You know a lot beyond your level."

"It's nothing," Alice disagreed, feeling dishonest accepting what he said.

"It's true, I wouldn't have thought you'd know Occlumency either."

"It was necessary prior to this mess, to help hide my true identity," she knew he'd suspect she meant her relation to Dumbledore. "But the main reason the Carrows have an interest in me is because they think I have information on the whereabouts of Potter."

"Do you?" He asked wondering.

"No, my grandfather told me nothing," she wondered if he believed her, "But I won't let them wander my mind to find that out."

"Maybe you should, otherwise their suspicions will continue. If Snape decides, you could be sent to him," he was referring to Voldemort, "You don't know what he's like Alice, he's taken over my home. My parents are…" he couldn't finish his sentence.

Alice took his hand, touching him for the first time since their last embrace. He closed his eyes, as if her touch calmed him, "Your parents are brave, as you are," she said consolingly, still clasping his one hand with both of hers. She then said quietly, "Before I could even show them that I know nothing, I need to learn how to compartmentalize my mind, otherwise they'll find out about us."

Draco realized she was right, "You're already a step ahead."

"I have to be, there's too much at stake," she said concerned.

Moving closer to him, Alice rested her head on his shoulder and he placed an arm around her back. The contrast of his warmth and the cold tile instantly became apparent.

After moments of silence, Draco asked, "It's your mother, isn't it? In the photograph?"

Alice knew what picture he was referring to; it was in his possession for several months, "Yes."

"Tell me about her," he asked quietly, as if wanting to hear of another life outside this current tragic world.

Alice told him the happy memories she remembered, leaving out the tragic end to her story. It felt good to share that life with him and he listened quietly, still holding her hand as she spoke. Their meetings would be like this, a sharing of their good times to outdo the bad that surrounded them. This made it more difficult to leave each other's company afterwards, knowing they had to enter a harsh reality where neither of them could truly be themselves.

"Be careful," Draco said before Alice left.

"You too," her reply ended with a soft kiss that encompassed the love and gratitude they felt for each other.

As Alice left, the dream shifted and she found herself seated at a long table in the Great Hall, writing a paper while eating a piece of plain toast. It was an essay for Muggle Studies and she found it ironic how easy it was to critique humanity, especially with the cruelness and violence found throughout its history. It would be the same for the wizarding history though. Despite knowing her grade would falter for it, Alice refused to hype Death Eater ideology in her paper. She was confident grades given by the Carrows this year would not affect her future studies. Alternatively, not having time to continue her muggle high school curriculum worried her, and she had a feeling she'd be held back a year.

While sitting there, Alice's glass of pumpkin juice suddenly fell over, saturating her parchment in orange-colored juice, with some cascading down onto her skirt. Looking around while taking her wand out to perform an evaporating spell, she saw Pansy Parkinson and several Slytherin girls laughing at her. This wasn't the first time this term that Alice fell victim to their pranks; reminding her why she didn't spend more time than necessary in the Great Hall. Annoyed but resolute to ignore, Alice quickly cleaned up the mess. She was relieved after casting the evaporating spell to see that her essay was spared from stains. She decided to pack up and leave for the library. As she was about to put the parchment she wrote in her bag, it burst into flames, disintegrating into dust on the table in front of her. That was it, she was past ignoring.

She marched over to Pansy and her friends; anger was apparent in her eyes, her hand still clutched her wand. The Slytherins at the table watched on as Alice approached.

"You just cost me time," she said angrily to Pansy, who stood up to meet her.

"You think you're going to do something about it?" she asked tauntingly, much to the amusement of her friends.

Alice's eyes narrowed, "I could."

"And end up in detention? You have no options muggle-lover," Pansy said condescendingly.

"There is an option," Alice's hand momentarily gripped her wand tighter; she was still pissed that she would have to rewrite an entire paper for a class she despised.

Pansy looked slightly surprised at this motion, thinking Alice was calling her to duel. Then she said cockily to her friends, "You, take on a seventh year? This should be amusing." She walked around the table with her hands on her hips, smirking. "Alice is pleading for me to embarrass her, should I comply?"

This grew interest from several of the students in the hall and a circle quickly formed around them, curious to watch what would happen between the two.

"You're embarrassing yourself Pansy. You feed off tormenting those you perceive as below you when in reality it's you who is less deserving of respect," Alice said steadily as she stood before her.

"How dare you insult me you filthy blood traitor!" Pansy's venom was apparent and she quickly hurled the Cruciatus Curse at Alice who blocked it. Pansy grew furious that her spell didn't get through and she hurled several more curses, but Alice continued to block them, restraining herself from counter-cursing her, "You refuse to fight after you call me out?" Pansy yelled at her.

"I'm not interested in fighting," Alice corrected her. "My option was for this to stop."

"You're a coward and I hope you die like your grandfather did," she said scathingly, aiming her wand another time.

Alice motioned quickly disarming Pansy and making her wand fly into the opposite wall, as if she used it to play darts. This made Pansy's face drop, she had not expected to be outdone by someone younger. Alice said nothing and turned to leave, but she was boxed in by Crabbe and Goyle, who looked as unpleased as Pansy did.

"Get out of my way," she yelled them, but they didn't move. Goyle grabbed her wrist violently, immobilizing the wand it held, while Crabbe readied his wand to curse her. Before he could, however, his wand was knocked out of his hand by an unknown practitioner. Crabbe looked around apprehensively while Alice sought her chance to escape by kneeing Goyle in groin; the pain caused him to release her wrist immediately.

Alice quickly left the audience in the Great Hall and after rounding several corridors, she found herself walking next to Draco.

"You need to be more reserved," he said to Alice slightly troubled.

"It was you?" Alice smiled at him, ignoring his comment, "Thank you."

"I'm serious. You could still receive detention for what happened. And if I wasn't there, Crabbe would have hurt you. He's not afraid to use the Cruciatus Curse to its full extent," the concern in his voice became more apparent to her.

Alice looked at him ashamed for her actions, she should have just left instead of getting involved, "I know; I just can't stand their bullying and not being able to do anything about it." She had been reticent all term.

Draco took her hand and led her off to a side nook, "You have to lay low Alice," he said quietly, pulling her into an embrace. "You have to keep yourself at Hogwarts, away from him." She nuzzled her face into his shoulder and breathed in his familiar scent, feeling incredibly safe in his arms.

It was getting closer to winter break and Draco was becoming more anxious about returning home, knowing he would be forced to participate in Death Eater activities. Alice wasn't leaving school grounds for fear of involving her family if anything were to happen to her over break. So much had occurred that term; the D.A. was becoming more covert in their operations, holding more meetings and even breaking into Snape's office in an attempt to steal Godric Gryffindor's sword. True to his word, Snape upheld his end of the bargain to protect students by sending those who misbehaved to the Forbidden Forest for detention with Hagrid when he could. Though this didn't completely stop the Carrows from enacting their own forms of punishment and their special detentions continued. Alice received several lessons from Snape on how to lie with her mind to an entering Legilimens. She was unsure if she could do it successfully when it really mattered, however. Luckily her relationship with Draco was solid and they often talked about their future, away from all this.

"I had a dream the other night," Draco said, his voice still hushed as he held her, "That we were older, sitting together looking out on a lake in the middle of nowhere. It was incredibly peaceful. You wore an emerald ring I gave you, a family heirloom…" His voice trailed off, as he recalled the entirety of the vision.

Alice thought of the lake that they recently went to in her reality, was it the same one in his dream she wondered; she looked at him, his eyes displaying slight uncertainty of his future desires. "If only we could make dreams reality," she said softly.

They then heard footsteps in the corridor, breaking the moment they swiftly released each other. Alice mouthed silently to Draco, "I'll leave first," giving him a quick kiss before taking her leave. It was often like this, covertly hiding the warmth of their relationship and posing as cold strangers when passing each other on their way to class. In any other situation it would have provided more excitement, but the stress of their harsh reality left them longing for more solidity and a continuation of the comfort they provided each other.

As Alice left him, the dream shifted and Alice found herself alone on Christmas morning, lounging on a sofa in the Ravenclaw common room. She was reading a new book on Darwinian evolution by Richard Dawkins called _Climbing Mount Improbable_, which was one of the gifts her father sent from back home. Reading a muggle book was a much needed respite from her magical studies. She wore a new outfit that Jane sent her, a black skirt and tights, and ruffled blouse. It came with several long cardigans and an abundance of wool tights. The note enclosed said, "Since we can't go shopping together this year, I went for you! Thanks for the excuse to get out of the house." She had already tried everything on, extremely grateful that Jane knew her tastes and her size so well. Despite the thoughtful gifts, it was still bittersweet not being home this year. Her brother and sister had just been born a month ago and she wasn't sure if she'd ever have a chance to see them. She felt, however, staying on the school grounds was wiser. In case something happened to her, her family was far away from it.

Feeling too alone for such a day, she decided to take her reading to the Great Hall, to eat brunch with the few students who were left. A majority of the students had taken the opportunity to go home to their families, especially with all the turmoil going on in wizarding Britain. Alice sensed everyone's need for the comfort of home.

On her way there, she encountered Professor Snape, who immediately began walking beside her.

"Unfortunately, you'll be making a trip today," he said, not needing to provide more information.

Alice's stomach dropped, she knew he meant she would be taken to see Voldemort.

"Now?" she asked, trying to stay calm.

"Yes, follow me," he replied, taking her to the front entrance where Amycus and Alecto Carrow stood waiting.

Alecto smirked as Alice appeared, "Today we find out if you're hiding something," she said devilishly.

Alice didn't look at the woman who reveled in producing fear; instead she clasped her muggle book in front of her and began thinking through her situation. She felt as if she's been embarking on the same journey species did as they evolved; climbing the same mountain of improbability in her magical learning; though she didn't have billions of years to do it. Would she make it to the top today or falter down with the task in front of her?

They disapparated to the front door of Malfoy Manor. Alecto clasped Alice's arm unnecessarily hard, since she wouldn't try to escape.

The door was opened by Narcissa Malfoy, who looked paler and weaker than Alice knew her, despite her youth. She looked at Alice with little interest, having expected Snape to be by today with a student.

"Do come in," she said, the emotion in her voice was drained of its usual sweet politeness; though the perfunctory tone of her class remained.

Alice was led through the foyer; an overly familiar entry point for her and it certainly hadn't changed years on. Although in the drawing room, she noticed the addition of a long table, which no doubt accommodated Death Eaters during the meetings they held there.

Lucius Malfoy stood at the far end near the fireplace, staring emptily into the flames, swirling the glass of tonic in his hand. Even he looked weary, for they weren't even allotted Christmas Day as a lull from the Dark Lord's madness.

"When will he return?" Snape asked Lucius, commanding his attention, since his eyes had not moved from the fire.

"Soon," Lucius replied, not moving his head.

Snape's eyes narrowed on him, before he returned his attention to Alecto who had continued to hold on to Alice as her prisoner. "You can release her, she's not going anywhere," he said scathingly, finding her rough grasp unnecessary in the current situation.

Alecto complied and Alice straightened herself out, giving the stocky professor a brief look of malcontent for the throbbing she now felt from her claw.

Narcissa handed the professors drinks, which they took without hesitation. All of them probably needed to take the edge off before again being in the presence of the Dark Lord.

Alice stood slightly away from the group, looking at the familiar items in the room as if she was seeing them again for the first time. She tried to focus her mind, but part of her couldn't believe this was happening.

Lucius finally made his way over to the group, giving Alice a brief glance before asking, "So this is the student Dumbledore was hiding?"

"Right under everyone's nose," Amycus replied amused. "Listed as muggle-born right up to this school year."

Alecto added, "Dumbledore was probably embarrassed by past indiscretions." This made her brother laugh but it produced no more than a sneer from Lucius and Snape.

Alice ignored the comments, as she edged her way to the wall to lean on. Feigning disinterest in their conversation, she opened her book and began reading. She figured anything was better than standing there looking awkward.

Narcissa noticed the girl's nonchalant attitude, saying slightly concerned, "Does she know why she's here?"

"She suspects as much," Snape said stoically.

"That attitude's typical of her," Amycus said.

"We'll just see how she does in the Dark Lord's presence, as calm and collected, I doubt it," Alecto added before downing the rest of her tonic.

A moment later, Voldemort entered with Bellatrix Lestrange at his side. Alice briefly glanced their way, realizing that the woman was Draco's deceased aunt.

"Oh, we have Christmas company," Bellatrix called out, overly amused at the audience she found.

Alice continued to clear her mind, knowing this was the moment she had been preparing for. She closed her book and stood up straight; she had no intention of showing the Dark Lord disrespect.

"Amycus and Alecto, my esteemed teachers," Voldemort greeted charismatically, "And Severus, it's nice to see those I place my trust in teaching the next generation of the new order." He then turned his attention to the other presence in the room, "So this is what's left of Albus Dumbledore?" He glared at her curiously.

Alice looked at him, his serpent-like appearance was expected, though he seemed much more frightening than in the few photographs that she saw. She courteously bowed to him, which surprised him.

"Well, at least Dumbledore taught her manners. Come over here," he said to her and Alice obliged by walking towards him.

"Obedience, such a rarity in youth these days," he said overly amused. He took in Alice's appearance as she stopped in front of him and after a moment he said, "Yes, the eyes, I can now see the resemblance." He suddenly seemed displeased to look at her.

"The rest is muggle," Bellatrix spit condescendingly.

"That's precisely what makes it so interesting. The strongest supporter of muggle rights would shamefully hide his illegitimate muggle-bred grandchild at Hogwarts. Ironic, isn't it?" Voldemort said to the group, as Alice looked at him without emotion.

Snape interrupted, "If I may speak my Lord," and Voldemort nodded at him in allowance, "I suspect it was precautionary, though it obviously backfired."

"Yes, it did backfire. If she stayed muggle-born she'd be in Azkaban with the others," he smirked proudly at his accomplishment. "He couldn't allow that, could he?" He then asked Snape, "You already deemed that she knows nothing?" He paced two steps from them, and Alice noticed his movements were serpent-like.

"Yes my Lord, she has no information worth reporting," Snape said looking at Alice.

"So he says," Amycus said out of turn, forcing all to look in his direction. "Forgive me my Lord, but it's unusual for a sixth year to be accomplished at Occlumency, as well as some forms of Dark magic."

Alice's eyes narrowed on Amycus. So that was his angle, she thought; trying to incriminate her for his own purpose of undermining Snape.

"Granddad giving private lessons, is he?" Bellatrix said intrigued while peering at Alice, taking a strand of her long hair. "What are you hiding?" she asked while tugging on it slightly, and Alice looked at her uncertain; she was unstable, Alice could tell by the look in her eyes.

"That's enough Bellatrix," Voldemort said to her, stepping back over in Alice's direction. "Perhaps we can just ask the girl. Alice, isn't it?"

Given leave to speak, Alice said politely, "Yes, Alice McNally."

"Is she a good student Severus?" He asked curiously.

"Top of her grade," Snape said dryly.

"Of course," Voldemort laughed, "So why is it Alice? Why do you know things that other sixth years do not?"

"I read ahead," she replied briefly.

Hoping Voldemort would overlook her terseness, Snape added, "She has what one would call a photographic memory. Dumbledore allowed her to study beyond her level."

"Quite a mind," Voldemort said curiously. "But it's obvious she didn't learn Occlumency from a textbook."

"No, I was taught," Alice answered, not saying by whom.

"And the Dark Arts?" He asked.

"My own curiosity," Alice replied with a slight smile.

Voldemort approved of such an answer, he then looked back at Snape, querying, "You've been able to fully search her mind?"

"Yes, under her allowance," Snape said dryly, "Unless she learned how to manipulate her thoughts, which is highly unlikely, there's nothing in her past of interest."

Voldemort considered this statement, then said, "I'll be the final judge of that." He pulled a wand from his black robe. Before entering her mind, he said, "I wouldn't resist if I were you."

Alice looked quickly at Snape whose eyes betrayed his obvious concern, not only for Alice, but for himself, for if she failed to manipulate her thoughts and lock away the truths she held, he would also be undermined. Alice remembered what she learned and allowed him into her boxed world.

There Voldemort found her relationship with Dumbledore, one of academic and life coach, keeping her on a path of academic success. Alice was in her grandfather's office, "I know something's wrong, yet you continue to tell me nothing, but you confide in Potter?" A hint of jealousy was in her voice. Dumbledore replied adamantly, "Don't concern yourself with these worries. You focus on one thing and one thing only, your studies. That is your path. I won't have you involved in someone else's."

Voldemort cycled around her mind finding Alice with her muggle father the summer before this term, having just received the letter of notice stating that all students were required to return to Hogwarts. Her father said to her concerned, "You could finish your schooling here without them knowing; wouldn't Dumbledore have wanted you safe?" Alice replied, "But attendance is mandatory, even if it's not safe there, I'd ruin my education by disobeying. I haven't even taken my O.W.L.s yet. I started this wizarding curriculum and I just want to finish it."

He dug deeper trying to find any contact she had with Potter. Alice was in The Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade, sitting across from Harry, Hermione and Ron. Hermione spoke, "We saw your abilities last year, you know things we haven't been taught yet, and with Harry and you teaching us defense we can…" Alice interrupted her, "I apologize, but I can't get involved with your plan." Hermione questioned, "Why can't you? We thought you of all students would want to undermine Umbridge and all she stands for." Alice replied, "There's personal reasons. I respect what you're trying to do and hope you're successful, but I just can't be a part of it…"

Voldemort then saw the face of her mother, laughing as she swung Alice as a child on a swing; the scene changed to Alice running her fingers down an aisle of books in a large library, and then it morphed into her studying mathematics in a nook in one of Hogwarts corridors, she had diagrams sprawled out before her. There was nothing he could find leading him back to Potter, and nothing more of her relationship with Dumbledore that went outside the norm, so he stopped looking.

Alice felt overwhelmed by the invasion, his hold was stronger than she imagined and her brain almost cracked from the pressure. She felt slightly lightheaded after the experience, like she had been running a mental marathon for hours.

Amycus and Alecto looked at Voldemort in the hope that he was successful in finding information, but soon realized he looked displeased that another attempt to know what Potter was up to failed. Voldemort still looked at Alice curiously as the tense silence continued.

"You were right Severus, Dumbledore kept her out of the loop where Potter was concerned. But tell me Alice, when did you find yourself in this house's library?" Voldemort asked suspiciously.

Alice looked at him confused, "What?"

"Perhaps I'm mistaken, or you have a bigger secret hidden in that astute mind of yours," he said intrigued.

At that moment, Draco entered the drawing room, gaining the attention of Voldemort immediately, "Ah Draco, we have one of your classmates here. I don't think she needs an introduction though. I can only assume you know each other quite well."

Alice couldn't look at him for fear of giving away her emotions, her mind was racing. Did she let a memory from her alternate life slip in; when she was in the Malfoy's library for the first time?

"So when did you bring Alice to the Manor? I doubt your parents knew," Voldemort said devilishly, knowing this would shame the Malfoys even more.

"You did what?" Lucius yelled angrily.

Draco was horribly confused by these accusations, "I did no such thing."

"I don't doubt what I saw! Alice was here before, in this house's very library," Voldemort paced around slightly, angered by being lied to, "What are you hiding?" He pointed his wand at her threateningly.

"Wait," Draco cried out, "Once, I took her here once over summer holiday."

"Tisk tisk, associating with muggle-borns. Your parents should be proud," Voldemort said derisively.

"It was a mistake," Draco added quickly, "One not to be repeated."

"Draco knows better now," Bellatrix coaxed, trying to defend her nephew, "He would not betray you my Lord."

Narcissa looked at her husband bewildered and worried by the outcome of the accusations. Lucius was equally confused, though angered if the accusation were true.

Voldemort sneered at the boy, "Prove it. Prove it was a mistake by torturing her."

Alice's heart skipped a beat; so this is what it came to, she thought. He had no choice but to comply. Not allowing himself to display any of the emotions he undoubtedly felt, Draco walked over towards her, taking his wand out. Alice looked at him once, hoping to convey in that brief moment that it was okay what he was going to do. That she would forgive him. As he cast the first curse, Alice hit the floor in pain, closing her eyes to the world as tears escaped her lids. She cried for him, not for herself. She could barely hear anything as the pain surged through her body, but she could just make out Voldemort's hissing voice, "Again," he told Draco. Alice wanted to be at that lake sitting next to him, staring out on a lush, deserted landscape; just the two of them with no worries. She thought of this as her insides burned. What hurt more was the thought that she failed her mission; that she may never wake up again. As another curse was cast, she floated in unconsciousness.

* * *

Alice awoke gasping for air; within seconds she was cradled in the arms of the one she loved.

"Alice, you're alright, you're here now," Draco held her close; reassuring her in the darkness that she was safe.

Though the pain had stopped, her mind was still unraveling all that had happened. It took her several minutes before she could speak again and Draco just held her silently in the dark, hoping she would come back to her senses, though he never felt more afraid in his life.


	46. Chapter 46

_A/N_: A short chapter before we get to the battle and very close to the end of this story! Hope you enjoy it. :)

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It took a whole day for Alice's motor skills to return to normal. The Cruciatus Curse had left her appendages numb and her speech slightly impaired, which made it even more difficult to explain to Draco exactly what happened.

She felt incredibly ashamed of her mistake, allowing a small piece of her alternate life leak to Voldemort when he invaded her mind. The memory was when she entered the Malfoy's library the first time; she ran her fingers down a row of book she never knew existed. It was a powerful memory from her first week in the magical world, one that still stood out to her when she realized all the knowledge she had missed in her life. Voldemort instantly knew it was their library and immediately assumed that Draco had taken her there, accusing him of poor taste in female acquaintances. It would no doubt shame his parents, providing more fodder to belittle them. This admission was also a betrayal of Draco's trust, for he had to lie about bringing her there to protect them both. If she did manage to see him again, she didn't know how to explain what Voldemort saw in her mind. If she told him the truth, he wouldn't trust her or perhaps even believe her.

Draco brought her a hot cup of tea and another blanket, "Alice, look at it positively, Voldemort doesn't know about your alternate life, he suspects that you hold no information on Potter. What you were able to do with your thoughts, under that circumstance, that's extreme difficult, even for the most advance wizards." He tried to encourage her with his words.

"It…" Alice swallowed, finding her tongue still slightly numb, "It would have been perfect but I betrayed..."

"Voldemort doesn't know that and he's the one you have to be concerned about," Draco interrupted her; he knew she worried more about their relationship than anything else. "You could tell him the truth."

"Then everything I said prior would have been a lie," she said concerned.

"But from the perspective of the Alice you are in that life, perhaps not," Draco acknowledged the different point of views that could be taken. Alice's perspective in this reality was that she was manipulating her alternate life to change its path. From the other perspective, that Alice was given extraordinary knowledge of the need to change her future and of a relationship she could have if she was open to discovering it. "…You're only given bits of that reality to change, the majority of the time you have nothing to do with its course. That life is not a lie and the emotions felt aren't lies either."

Alice sat there motionless as she pondered this admission; he was right in the sense that she only changed key moments in that alternate reality, slowly tweaking its course on a slightly different path. She may have pushed that Alice to comfort Draco in his time of need, but she never forced him to fall in love with her. And even so, he fell in love with that Alice, regardless of her knowledge of another life. While these thoughts comforted her, she still didn't know where she'd be the next time she entered her dreams; though she suspected she'd be locked away in the manor's dungeons.

"…Maybe you won't be locked away," Draco said addressing these concerns, "Snape may encourage your return to Hogwarts, especially since it was established quite clearly that you pose no threat."

"Not to mention I'm a shameful reminder of my grandfather's indiscretion, or at least that's what the press is making it out to be," Alice said solemnly.

"All will be vindicated in the end Al, you have to keep hope," he brushed her hair out of her face and placed the blanket around her, trying to encourage her to relax.

That weekend Alice took it easy to recover from the experience; however, she found herself struggling with insomnia. She couldn't settle her mind to fall asleep for long, fearing where she'd wake up and what she would be expected to do the next time she dreamt. She barely made it through her classes on Monday, and on Tuesday, luckily her lecture involved watching a film so it didn't require her full energy. Tuesday night, however, she had no choice but to rest for her body wouldn't allow it anymore.

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_Dream 11_:

Alice's eyes fluttered open and she saw a high vaulted ceiling above her. She could feel the starched linen beneath her and instantly knew she was lying on an overstuffed cot in Hogwarts hospital wing. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing she was at Hogwarts and not in the Malfoy's dungeons.

"Thank Merlin!" Madame Pomfrey cried overjoyed at seeing her stir from the side of the room. A moment later, she hustled over to her with a cup in her hand. "Here, drink this."

Alice slowly sat up in the cot, she felt weak that even the cup she now held was overly heavy. She looked curiously at the orange liquid inside.

"It's just pumpkin juice, you need to get your sugars up. You've been out of it for almost two weeks, nothing could wake you," she said with heightened concern.

Alice's eyes went wide at the mention of two weeks. She wondered if her avoidance of sleep in her reality helped prolong her coma.

After taking a sip of the sweet liquid, she asked, "Wha…What day is it?"

"It's the first day of school, but you'll be staying here until you get your energy up," she replied in a mothering tone.

"But…" Alice started to protest, it was so like her to be concerned about missing a day of classes.

"You've already been given leave by Headmaster Snape. Your health is more important, now finish your pumpkin juice and I'll bring you some food," Madame Pomfrey hurried off, leaving Alice to contemplate her situation.

She felt awful, like she did when she had the flu the previous season. Looking next to her, she noticed the muggle book her father gave her from Christmas was sitting there, along with a muggle fashion and science magazine. She wondered if her father had been there. Soon after she heard a loud popping noise coming from outside the door's entrance.

In hurried her father, dressed in his top business suit, "Dad?" Alice cried to him, she was shocked to see him in Hogwarts.

"Oh Alice, thank goodness," he came over to her bed side, kissed her on the cheek and sat down next to her, "I was so worried and they insisted you stay here. I would have taken you straight to the best doctors…"

"It's okay Dad, I'm okay," Alice reassured him, "But you shouldn't be here." Her heart beat quicker thinking how dangerous it was for a muggle to be in Death Eater territory.

Madame Pomfrey had returned with a tray of food and after hearing Alice's comment she interrupted, "Alice, it's school policy to notify the parents on the onset of any calamity. Your father was to be transported here by Portkey as soon as you woke up."

Her dad then added amused by the magical transportation, "I was actually on my way to a business meeting when this pocket watch they gave me ticked loudly in my bag. I touched it and poof! Sometimes I'm blow away by all this Alice." He squeezed her one hand in a loving gesture.

Alice smiled at her father's cheeriness, but she couldn't help but be more concerned about him, "I know dad, but you need to go to your meeting, I'm fine."

"You are not fine Alice," his voice suddenly grew stern, as a father who could no longer ignore that things going on at this school were not right, "You've been in a coma for two weeks! I may have let you return in the beginning of the year, but I cannot let you continue. Not after this."

"Dad, I don't have a choice," Alice said firmly.

"That's right you don't, I'm your father and I say you're going home," he replied adamantly.

Snape entered the medical wing overhearing this argument, "I'm afraid Mr. McNally, your daughter is required to stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of the term."

"That's outrageous," he said slightly enraged, he stood up from her bedside to confront him.

"Dad," Alice tried to turn his attention back to her, but he seemed intent on giving Snape his two cents.

"Obviously you can't keep the students safe in this country or world or whatever it is. First, her grandfather was murdered, on these grounds no less, then she ends up in a coma, what am I suppose to do as a father? Do you have children? Do you know what it's like to fear for their existence?" His berating left Alice extremely embarrassed, especially as Snape looked on detached from it all.

"Dad, stop okay," Alice pleaded behind him. "I have to finish my education, you know this. I'm fine now and I'll be home for summer holiday before you know it."

Her father looked at her confused and noticeably upset, "I just can't believe you'll be safe here Alice."

"If I can reassure you, Mr. McNally," Snape seemed completely unfazed by the previous tirade, "What happened to your daughter will not find itself repeating. Hogwarts is the safest place in Britain for her."

"Please dad," Alice again pleaded, feeling a bit like a child for doing so.

After several awkward moments, he reluctantly conceded, "Fine, but one more incident and your home Alice."

"Okay," Alice knew it wouldn't be as easy to convince him a third time.

Madame Pomfrey then instructed Alice to eat and get more rest which her father took as a sign that visiting hours were over. Giving her a hug, he took his leave via the pocket watch Portkey back to attend his scheduled meeting.

After he left and when Madame Pomfrey exited the area, Alice said to Snape, who lingered nearby, "I thought I'd be locked away."

"Despite your slight discrepancy, the Dark Lord suspects nothing. He'll allow you to continue your studies as long as you don't incite trouble."

Alice was relieved to hear this, though surprised, "That's more generous than I expected."

"Let's just say you're a reminder of Dumbledore's past that is unacceptable to his ideology," he added.

"Symbolic retribution," Alice thought aloud, thinking she would probably be used for this further down the line.

Snape nodded and then added briskly before taking his leave, "You can have today off from classes, but your attendance is expected tomorrow."

Alice was left alone, her plate of food sat nearby, and the magazines and book from her father longed to be read, but at that moment she could do nothing but think of how she would confront Draco.

As the day wore on and the evening approached, Madame Pomfrey, before retiring to her room, insisted that Alice get some sleep. She was the only person in the hospital wing, seeing how school only just started. It was eerily quiet and dark, and for many reasons she felt vulnerable. Unfortunately, she had no excuse to stay awake, having now read everything that was available to her. But not a moment after she closed her eyes, she felt a hand cover her mouth, making her jump up. Her eyes soon made out his face, and he had his index finger pushed against his lips telling her to be quiet as he removed his hand.

"Draco," Alice whispered, embracing him and he reciprocated, holding her tightly.

He then took out his wand and cast a Muffliato charm so they could talk without waking up Madame Pomfrey. After it was cast, they sat there in momentary silence, unsure how to begin the conversation.

"I'm so sorry," Alice started, "For what happened."

Draco looked at her confused by her words, "I'm the one who's sorry. I hurt you. I thought you wouldn't wake up."

Alice realized how terrified he must have been by these thoughts, "I'm okay. It was my fault for what he saw in my mind."

Draco looked at her curiously, "I don't understand it Alice. Why would he see you in the manor's library? I've never taken you there."

"There's something I haven't told you but that affects everything I do," Alice started her explanation, looking at his uncertainty worriedly, "When my grandfather discovered my existence, he had a vision of my future at Hogwarts that ended in tragedy. He decided to split my future, sending me on a separate path in the hopes that it would later help influence how this one ended. In that separate reality, he chose to repress my magical gene so I would be a muggle with no knowledge of the magical world. But as expected, the two realities began colliding. A book I wrote about the possibility of magic got me in trouble with the Ministry and I was pulled into that world, my ancestry was discovered, and the charm that repressed my gene was released, and I began learning magic. I also met you…"

Draco interrupted her, "You met me?"

"Yes, the you in that reality. It's eight years from this point. And we're engaged to be married," Alice said slowly, worrying about his reaction.

"That's not possible," he muttered confused.

"It is in that reality, but in this one, from what my grandfather saw, I don't think I make it past this year alive. His hope was that by giving me knowledge from that world, I can overcome death in this one. What the Dark Lord saw was me in your family's library, but in another realm."

Draco's face was plastered with distress, "How long have you known?"

"For several years. I couldn't tell you, there was too much at stake. I couldn't risk altering anyone else's fate, only my own," Alice began fearing the worse.

"Is that why you helped me? Why you persisted to try and comfort me?" he asked slightly upset.

"I can't deny that the feelings from that reality haven't affected me, but even so, I'd find myself in your presence and knew that our relationship was meant to span across realms. You make this life worth living for," Alice said, her eyes pleading for his acceptance.

Draco remained silent, thinking over everything she had said, though he was unsure whether he should feel betrayed by her admission. He then asked, "What happens if you're unsuccessful."

"If I die in this reality, the same will happen in the other," Alice said solemnly, "This is my chance to change them both." Her eyes welled slightly as she looked at his confusion. She thought it was hopeless.

Draco started to remember, "The dream I had, of us on the lake, you were older and your hair was darker. The ring…"

Alice continued his sentence, "It has a round diamond caddied by two square emeralds."

This was the exact ring he saw, "Did I see our future or that reality?"

"Maybe it's both," Alice said hopeful, but as he remained silent in thought, Alice grew more worried, "I'm so sorry Draco, I betrayed your trust…"

He quickly lifted his finger to her lips, instantly quieting her apology. He shook his head and looked at her searchingly, "You just showed me a future that I want. You don't have to go through this alone."

The dread Alice felt suddenly broke away from her, and she knew their relationship was unshaken; he understood and would be there to help make that future into their reality.

The dream shifted and Alice found herself in the Great Hall with her fellow sixth year students, only a few days into term. As soon as she saw the metal hoop in front of her and heard the familiar and annoying drone of Wilkie Twycross saying "Destination, determination and deliberation," she knew she was in her first apparating lesson. There was strange sense of déjà vu, having worked through all this before. She looked around at her fellow classmates, seeing in their strained faces the over-exertion of thinking they were putting into the task, though many had given up and resorted to bored staring into empty space. "Destination, determination, deliberation, the three D's," Professor Twycross chimed again, and Alice already felt the same headache coming on as she use to get during those several Saturdays taking these exact lessons at the Ministry. She didn't think she could handle going through them again, especially if she had to pretend to be a novice at it.

"Professor Twycross!" Alice called him over, raising her hand to alert him of her presence. He slowly crept his way over.

"Yes, Miss…" He asked for her name.

"McNally, Alice McNally," Alicereplied, thinking he probably wouldn't remember it later.

"Yes, Miss McNally," he squeaked, peering through his glasses at her, "What is the problem?"

"I'd like to take the test now," Alice said confidently, she didn't care if other students grew more suspicious or spiteful of her. They already believed her grandfather taught her magic well beyond her level.

"Now?" Wilkie Twycross said surprised, showing that his voice could fluctuate from his usual monotone, "But you haven't even finished the first lesson yet, or done any apparating."

"I just want one try and if I pass, can I be done with these lessons for the term?" Alice asked calmly.

He continued to peer at her wide-eyed while her fellow classmates, who had nothing else holding their attention, had formed a circle around them.

"Overconfident as usual," a Slytherin student spat from the onlookers, breaking Mr. Twycross from his speechlessness.

"Alright, I will give you a chance, but be prepared for splinching which often occurs to those who hastily rush into apparating," he conceded, thinking he could turn this incident into a lesson. Alice was all too aware to avoid such trauma. He then pulled a small yellow paper from his pocket which magically transformed into proper sized quill and clipboard; it was the test taking checklist and official Ministry paperwork that Alice remembered from the first time she took this test.

Professor Twycross then said professionally, "First you will apparate into the metal hoop, then disapparate to the front of the hall, then again inside the metal hoop. Please begin."

Without much thought, having become proficient at apparition from traveling to and from Malfoy Manor all term, Alice did as she was told, much to the surprised of her fellow classmates. She knew this display was rather ostentatious, but at that time all she cared about was getting out of those horrible lessons.

"You have proven me quite wrong Miss…," he had forgotten her name.

"McNally, Alice," she told him; he had forgotten her name in her previous lessons too.

"Miss Alice McNally," he spoke as he was writing her name down on the official paperwork, "I don't know how you did it but you have passed."

"Thank you sir," Alice said politely, and she went to the far wall to fetch her bag before leaving.

"Have fun," Alice smirked arrogantly at a group of Slytherins standing nearby as she passed them, noticing the jealous anger in their eyes. She shouldn't have done that, she thought as she left the room, but leaving her peers behind felt good.

The dream shifted and Alice found herself walking through the crowded corridors of Hogwarts, after finishing her first period Potions class. This term, which was already months in, felt even more miserable than last as several of her classmates had not returned from winter holiday. Luna, in particular, was a notable absence and of course, Alice depressingly knew of her dreaded whereabouts in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. Without Luna, there were few other students in the school who she could confide in. Even when she first returned to her house's dormitory from the hospital wing, there was little greeting from her fellow Ravenclaws who continued to distrust her. From her past secrets and her infamous use of the Cruciatus Curse on a fellow classmate, they saw her as no better than the Slytherins who acted like they owned the school. Alice felt more alone than ever.

Up ahead in the corridor she saw Filch, cleaning up graffiti that had been charmed to continually reappear on the wall every fortnight. It read, "Dumbledore's Army Still Recruiting." Despite the many absent students, a brave few were still carrying out their resistance to the Death Eaters, and some had even gone into hiding in the Room of Requirement. More joined their ranks after becoming victims of the Carrow's sadistic detentions. Beyond student anguish, Alice could also see the demeanors of her professors take a downturn, despite their attempt to uphold student morale. She couldn't imagine the arguments bypassed in the teacher's room, since the Carrows and Snape had complete control of the school. It would only be a matter of months until the Battle of Hogwarts, and Alice felt like she needed a lifetime more of learning before she'd be prepared for it.

Draco had to maintain his loyalties to his fellow Slytherins, though he was slowly losing hold of the respect he once had. His only claim to any power in the group was his Death Eater membership; the Dark Mark brandished on his forearm had the power to garner fear from those without it. Alice understood his need to stay this way, especially when his parents were under the thumb of Voldemort. During one of their secret meetings, she hesitantly asked whether he was punished for falsely admitting to taking her to the Manor, after Voldemort saw the scene of Alice in their grand library. He said it didn't bode well for their standing; that it added another notch on the Dark Lord's list of embarrassments to shame them with. His father berated him afterwards for the improperness of the acquaintance and for bringing a girl, especially one presumed to be muggle-born, into their home secretly. While his mother, the overly concerned Narcissa that Alice knew her to be, was more worried for what Voldemort made Draco do, especially since it left Alice unconscious. Narcissa had refused to take the Dark Mark herself, and despite her husband's acceptance of it, she never fully conceded to Draco's initiation. Narcissa of course remained solid in her support of her husband and son, doing Voldemort's bidding for all their sakes. But she feared what the situation was doing to Draco, knowing that the Dark Arts can twist a person's soul. Watching him use the Cruciatus Curse on a fellow classmate, and one which he may have had a prior friendship with, concerned her greatly. Draco said when he apologized for his past indiscretion, his mother told him to be careful, not only for himself, but also for the friends he wasn't supposed to have. Not once did she say she was disappointed in him. This of course gave Alice hope that life past the Battle of Hogwarts could morph into what she had in her other reality; that Narcissa would care more about her son's wellness, mental and physical, than what was considered proper for their pure-blood status.

As Alice continued walking to her Transfiguration lesson, she saw Draco up ahead in the hallway with fellow Slytherins surrounding him. She gave him and the group a momentary glance since it was difficult to ignore his presence. As always, Draco's demeanor remained cool and collected, despite a brief acknowledgment of her existence. As she passed the group, Blaise purposely knocked into her shoulder, causing her to stumble backwards. The group laughed as they continued walking, their pompous behavior practically floating them to their next class. Alice knew this is the way it had to be; they would pose as strangers on opposite teams in the hallways, while being devoted confidants in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom or in the deep recesses of the school's corridors. Alice hoped they'd be successful in keeping their relationship a secret, since associating on such a personal level with Dumbledore's granddaughter, the greatest prior adversary of the Dark Lord, would accrue a costly punishment, perhaps even jeopardize his life. For a Death Eater, there was no excuse for a member not to follow the tenets of the new order's ideology.

On the academic side of things, Alice was incredibly board with her studies. She had an excess of time on her hands now which always use to be taken up by her muggle high school curriculum. Since she preferred to stay out of the Ravenclaw common room, she spent most of her time in the school's library, trying to learn more spells, albeit if only by reading about their execution. She didn't know if this would do her any good in the future.

When she reached the hallway where the Transfiguration classroom was located, she found Alecto Carrow pulling a first year Hufflepuff by the arm. Already the young girl had tears in her eyes, knowing what punishment would come. Alice stared at Alecto, giving her a small hint of disdain in her blue pupils, despite always trying to remain neutral in their doings.

Alecto noticed this and she paused in front of Alice, jerking the young student as she stopped, saying sternly, "Just for that look McNally, I expect you at detention this afternoon. You're obviously in need of it."

Alice could say nothing as she continued to her class, she detested the Carrows and felt disgusted for doing nothing to offset their abuse. As the school day ended, she reluctantly went to the Muggle Studies classroom for detention. Again, she wasn't the only student there, and many, from the looks of their scars and bruises, had been repeat attendees.

"Perfect," Alecto said amused as Alice entered the classroom. "Why don't you come up front Miss McNally."

Alice did as she was told, noticing the trembling first year Hufflepuff nearby. As she was mentally preparing for the pain soon to be inflicted on her, Alecto instructed her to do the unthinkable. "You will be casting the Cruciatus Curse today."

Alice's eyes went wide; this was beyond cursing Kristopher Kipp in a classroom duel. The first year Hufflepuff now began gulping back tears. Alice looked at Alecto concerned, "I can't do that," she said slowly, the first time being true to herself.

"What did you say?" Alecto asked in rising intonation, "Are you defying me?"

Alice looked away, saying nothing.

"If you refuse," Alecto started with a mischievous bent in her tone, "I will at this very moment post a letter to a fellow Death Eater that contains the address of your muggle father. It will also have instructions to kill all the muggles who live there."

Alice's heart stopped beating for second; this was beyond what she expected as coercion. She knew Alecto would do what she threatened; Death Eaters were killing muggles for sport and being requested to knock off another muggle family would be akin to a day at the golf course. For the next half an hour, Alice cast the Cruciatus Curse on four of her fellow classmates, including the first year Hufflepuff whose eyes flowed tears in front of her.

After it was done, Alecto looked at her impressed, "For being Dumbledore's runt, you handle the Dark Arts rather well. Other students outside the House of Slytherin have trouble casting this curse, but you, you like making them hurt. I can tell. Perhaps you should rethink your loyalties."

Alice looked at her disinterested in such blandishments, "I take no sides," she said blankly, though remaining neutral to everything going on was becoming more difficult.

"That's the pathetic muggle in you talking," Alecto replied before allowing her to leave.

Outside the detention hall Alice felt ill; she wished she could run to her grandfather's office and ask for advice, as she always did when she had a pressing problem, but that was no longer an option.

The dream then shifted and Alice found herself in front of her grandfather's tomb, a polished white slab under which he was finally laid to rest. It was early Saturday morning and the mist from the lake surrounded her, enclosing her in a white cloud. She could only make out the front of the tombstone.

Alice knew why she was there, she needed to talk to him; and despite feeling awkward speaking to the stillness of the morning gloom, the experience became cathartic. "I know I haven't visited you before grandfather, I guess I always preferred to overlook death, but now, when facing it, it changes my perspective on things…You put me on this path telling me to not get involved in the war, but by doing so I have to deny that anything is wrong with this world. When the battle comes, am I supposed to just leave, to turn my back on everyone? You wouldn't do that and if I do, what kind of person does that make me? Can I fight and survive this war with dignity?" Suddenly the mist began to fade, as if the sun was purposely showering it rays down, evaporating it instantly. Alice looked up and saw a red phoenix soaring through the air, singing as it flew. It was Fawkes, Dumbledore's trusted phoenix. She hoped this was sign that she would make the right decision.


	47. Chapter 47

_A/N_: Hello all! Well this is the final chapter in my saga. Glad I could finish it before classes started. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Lots of love!

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The dream carried on and Alice was transported through her sixth years at Hogwarts. The winter turned into spring and Easter holiday had just ended. Draco returned looking distraught and with his mother's wand, having lost his in a scuffle with Harry Potter. The first time they reunited he told Alice what happened, including the severe punishment his family received for their grave mistake. He was surprised his father was left alive, though he suspected it was so Voldemort could have someone to constantly kick around and humiliate. She could tell this constant belittling of his family angered him beyond measure. It was his pride that continued to be stepped on. Since starting his schooling he always measured himself against others, believing he always came short of Harry Potter. As a Death Eater, he tried and failed to make a name for himself and his family's ongoing mistakes continued to downgrade their status. Alice wished she could tell him his great future in her reality as a master potioneer, that he rescued so many people from mental instability by discovering a new cure, and that he would become a great professor respected by his students. But she couldn't; he had to find that path on his own. All she could do was console him, giving him hope that someday it wouldn't this way.

"What if he wins Alice?" Draco started to express his concerns, "He might end up killing us for our uselessness."

"You don't know that," Alice replied concerned. "You told me yourself, he won't spill magical blood if he doesn't have to."

"But my parents have no standing anymore, we'd be finished either way…If only I could redeem my family name somehow," he began thinking.

Alice feared these thoughts made him go after Potter during the Battle of Hogwarts; she knew she shouldn't change his mind, so she said, "Whatever you do, promise me that you'll focus on surviving it. What matters is not your name."

"I shouldn't worry you with this," Draco said placing his arm around her.

"I'm glad you share your worries with me," Alice said resting her head on his shoulder. "I still remember the only time you'd talk to me was through insults."

Draco cracked a smile, "I was awful."

Alice looked at him and smiled amused at his confession, teasing him, "An awful git."

The gleam in her eyes was infectious and Draco kissed her passionately, pushing her back onto the cold tile. Their desires took over, momentarily making them forget their outside worries. They wouldn't have stopped if it wasn't for Moaning Myrtle hovering over them giggling incessantly.

The dream shifted and Alice found herself in her dormitory bed late at night, everyone had fallen asleep but she sat meditating still dressed in her weekend clothes and with her favorite pair of flats stationed next to her bed. Somehow she knew that tonight would be the battle and it wasn't long before she heard loud voices and commotion coming from the downstairs common room, where Harry, Luna, and Professor McGonagall were wrestling with the Carrows. The noise and shouting between the groups had everyone rush from their beds to see what was going on. But Alice remained, deciding instead to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. She grabbed her mother's book from under her mattress and took out the old photograph from inside. She looked at her mother's smiling face, "You're right mom, I have nothing to fear," she said to her before tucking the precious item into her skirt's side pocket. Grabbing a black cardigan, she headed downstairs where her housemates were being instructed by their prefects to go to the Great Hall. There she saw both the Carrows hanging unconscious in a silvery net from the ceiling. Alice couldn't help but smile at the ironic scene, for they had met such a humiliating end, bound and tied in a student's common room.

As she filed into the Great Hall with her fellow Ravenclaws, she noticed Luna and Cho, who were each summoned by Neville to rejoin Dumbledore's Army. The students who went into hiding in the Room of Requirement for the last several weeks were also there, looking ready to take on any Death Eater they could. Their eyes were hungry for some much needed vengeance.

As Alice approached Luna she said to her concerned, "I'm glad to see you're alright."

Luna replied with a tone slightly too upbeat for such an occasion, but characteristic of her, "Oh hello Alice, I've be fine, but I've missed our morning talks over toast and pumpkin juice."

Alice took a seat next to her and soon realized quite a few others had also shown up to fight; previous students like the Weasley brothers and members of the Order of the Phoenix. Her eyes lingered momentarily on Kingsley Shacklebolt, who she knew would become the new Minister of Magic.

After everyone was settled she glanced over to the Slytherin table to see Draco, seated next to Crabbe and Goyle. She tried not to think this could be the last setting she would see him in, but it was hard to block the thought from her mind. McGonagall addressed the crowd of what was about to happen, ordering everyone underage to evacuate. Then, as if speakers hung from everywhere above them, Voldemort's voice was amplified throughout the school grounds, giving them an ultimatum to turn over Harry Potter or suffer the consequences. Of all the Slytherins, it was of course Pansy Parkinson who pointed Potter out, much to the contempt of all the other houses who stood in defense of "the chosen one." Even Alice stood up, for the first time showing her support for the one side. It also felt good to make Pansy feel the same offense she inflicted on those she bullied. It was then that McGonagall told the Slytherins to leave, while the House prefects made sure everyone underage and those who did not want to stay and fight were escorted to the Room of Requirement's hidden exit to Hogsmeade.

Alice watched as Draco left the Great Hall; his eyes met hers momentarily and if they could telecommunicate, they would have said everything they never got to say; she knew he would sneak back in with Crabbe and Goyle, going after Potter in the Room of Requirement. She could only hope he would be spared in this reality too. She dared not think about herself.

When it came time, underage students and those who refused to fight from Ravenclaw stood up and filed out the doors, but Alice remained seated. Professor McGonagall came over, bolstering students for their bravery, until she came to Alice, who sat there in deep thought about her future actions. The old witch expressed her concern, "Alice, are you sure about this? Dumbledore may have wanted you to leave."

Broken from her meditation, she turned to look at her, saying strongly, "I've turned my back on my fellow students and my school for too long Professor McGonagall, I want to stay and fight."

Luna placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder, and Neville who was nearby, nodded his head in proud approval; pleased that she kept her word. It wasn't long before she was running alongside Professor Flitwick, as her and her fellow Ravenclaws returned to Ravenclaw Tower to rain spells and enchantments down on the attackers below as they stormed the castle. Soon, however, their position was compromised by a strong blasting spell that shattered the great dome above them. A shield charm was cast just in time to protect them from the crushing debris. Flitwick ordered the group to return to where they would fight the main defensive, since Death Eaters were now entering the school.

Alice fought alongside Luna, focusing on the giant spiders now entering the castle. They were extremely hard to kill, despite their size making them easier targets. Alice was able to utilize a slicing spell, learned courtesy of Lucius Malfoy, to sever their legs, while Luna worked on blasting their eyes. The partnership worked well until they were being shot at by Death Eaters who were entering from the blasted out walls. Luckily, there were enough members of the Order to quickly dispatch them, but Alice did found herself in a duel with a Death Eater who wore a silver mask. She was quick to block his spells, but he continued to block hers as well. She remembered a strangling spell Narcissa taught her which produced an invisible rope from her wand's tip that would find its way to your opponent's neck, strangling them into unconsciousness. Seconds after she cast it, the Death Eater clutched his neck, trying to pull the now amber glowing rope from it. Knowing his struggle was useless, Alice moved on to another task.

"Miss McNally, we'll have a talk later about where you got such dark spells from!" McGonagall yelled at her as she rushed off to fight another Death Eater.

Alice soon caught up with Luna who had gone just outside the castle walls; Seamus Finnigan and Ernie Macmillan were nearby.

She noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione farther out in the clearing, but they were stopped.

Seamus cried out, "Dementors! We gotta help Harry!"

Luna and Ernie rushed towards them and Alice decided to provide her support too, though she was unsure if she could produce a Patronus. A joyous thought was such a stark contrast to the current moment and she had always been unsuccessful at it in her reality. Then she thought of the simple gesture of intertwining her fingers with Draco's, something they always did, but it made her feel content in so many ways.

Along with Luna's hare, Seamus's fox, and Ernie's boar, there was another bright creature; a graceful peacock soared through the air. As the thought became stronger to Alice, the sparkling apparition tussled its tail feathers open, producing a blinding white plume.

"Your patronus is lovely Alice," Luna smiled, as they chased the Dementors off with them.

"And strong too," added Seamus, "Glad your on our side finally!"

"Well, I was never on the other!" Alice shouted back, as they ran back towards the fighting.

The rest of the battle became a blur that Alice assumed her dream shifted forward to when Voldemort ceased the fighting, giving Harry Potter one hour to turn himself in. There were so many dead amongst the rubble but so far she had been spared. Alice had not yet seen Draco, which she found worrying. She wanted to go and look for him, but they had started retrieving bodies and she felt obligated to lend a hand.

"Alice, something on your mind?" Neville asked as she helped him lift a body, taking the feet. He noticed her weary gaze endlessly searching.

"I'm looking for someone," she said a bit hopelessly.

"Who'd that be?" he asked curiously, trying not to look at the dead he was holding as they went into the Great Hall.

"I can't really say," Alice regretfully replied after they placed the lifeless figure at the end of the row of bodies that had formed.

"Well, you outta go then," he said to her, wiping the sweat from his brow. He could tell it weighed heavily on her mind.

"Thanks Neville."She was grateful for his understanding; the last thing she wanted was for the leader of the D.A. to think she abandoned them again.

Heading into the corridors from the Great Hall, she had to be cautious stepping over rubble so she wouldn't slip on the blood that littered the walkways. It was horrific, as she assumed it would be; pieces of Acromantula were scattered everywhere, and a giant's corpse had fallen and blocked half the stairway to the next floor. She crept slowly with her wand ready, in case any left behind creature or Death Eater remained and were unaware of the ceasefire. There were gaping holes in the side walls and whole rooms had been destroyed. As she moved further into the halls, she illuminated her wand tip for light, since several torches were blasted or walls were missing and the moonlight was simply not enough. Hearing some commotion outside, she realized the hour was already up; it wouldn't be long now until another fight broke out. She knew how that part of history was supposed to end but she was weary if it would change. Her greatest fear was that Draco never made it out of the Room of Requirement or if he did, that he was harmed or killed during the battle. He wouldn't have a wand to defend himself. Just about as she was going to turn around, she saw a hand sticking out of some fallen rubble; a side wall had collapsed on top of them. Her heart skipped a beat as she ran over; she cast a spell to levitate the debris from the person's body. Despite the soot and blood covering his face, she could instantly tell that it was Draco.

"He's dead?" she mouthed incoherently, as her hand shakily went to touch him. But his face was still warm and she could feel a faint pulse. He was unconscious, and she suspected he was stunned before the wall collapse on top of him.

She carefully positioned him on his back, worrying if any of his bones were broken or if his internal organs were bleeding. She didn't know any healing spells, which made her feel completely incompetent and angry at himself for never learning something so important right now. She had to get him back to the Great Hall, before the fighting started so someone there could heal his wounds.

Her hands were shaking as she attempted to levitate him, making her continually fail to cast the most basic of spells. "C'mon Draco," she said to him encouragingly, wishing he'd just wake up and walk out of there. She tried the spell again and was able to levitate him enough to move him to the next hall. But as she inched closer, sounds from outside hinted that the battle would begin soon. "There's no time," she thought painfully, unsure to do.

Suddenly the earth shook and dust from the cracked ceiling above her fell on her head. Alice assumed it was the centaurs galloping down from the forest hills to attack the Death Eaters, who would be forced to flee into the Great Hall to fight those that remained. She placed Draco's unconscious body close next to the corridor's wall as there was no other safe place to put him. She then placed a shield charm around him, knowing that was the best she could do.

Sounds of the fighting grew more intense; she heard walls being blasted away and she could smell fresh fires starting to burn. Then she saw three Death Eaters at the opposite end of her corridor, probably trying to sneak up on the battle from behind.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the one asked his mate, amused by the young girl who had already stood up with her wand ready.

"Easy pickings," the other said with a smirk of his cruel intentions.

Without knowing it, Alice glanced back towards Draco briefly and the one Death Eater picked up on it, "Who's your friend? Still alive I see. Don't worry, we'll finish him after you."

Before doing anything, Alice cast her Patronus, hoping it would fly to the Great Hall, then maybe someone would see it and come to help.

"Trying to signal for help missy? I don't think there's time for that," the Death Eater turned his wand to her, but Alice quickly cast her Cruciatus Curse, hitting him in the heart and making him fall to the floor unconscious.

"Whoa!" One of others yelled, "She's not messing around. Get her!"

They began shooting spells at her, but Alice continued to block and reciprocate with all she knew. She tried not to think of the improbability of the situation, two Death Eaters, trained to killed, against one novice of magic.

"Is that all you've got?" The one cackled, finding her will to fight amusing.

Then, from the other end of the hall, came a blast of great intensity that knocked one of her opponents off his feet, shocking the other who was nearby. This gave Alice a chance to finish him, sending her stunning spell into his chest. Looking for her savior, she saw Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy running towards her.

"Draco's here!" Alice yelled to them, noting the confusion in their eyes if it was her who cast the Patronus. "He's hurt." Her voice broke, expressing her worry that it may already be too late.

Narcissa ran to her son's side while Lucius moved his wand above him, saying incantations. Alice moved away from them, though wanting to also be by his side. What was only a matter of minutes, felt like hours of waiting.

"Thank goodness," Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief, breaking the tension for all of them.

"Son," Lucius called to him, sounding content to make the confirmation. He had revived him from the stunning curse and healed his internal injuries from the fallen debris. It was close; he could have died if they waited any longer.

Draco hastened to pick himself up, holding onto his father for support as he found his legs. Taking in his surroundings, he immediately noted Alice standing there, staring at him, a weary elation on her face.

"Alice?" Draco let go of his father, going to her as if no pain still existed in his body. He clasped her face with his hands, looking into her tear blocked eyes searchingly. "You're here…you're alive."

Alice smiled at him, blinking and nodding to affirm what he said; she was alive, they both were and the battle had ended, as the cheers echoed in from the Great Hall. He brought her close to him and held her tightly, as Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy looked at each other slightly confused, though still grateful for their son's well-being.

"It's over," Alice whispered to him, "We made it."

Stepping back from her, but still embracing her sides, he looked at where he was, remembering that he fell somewhere else, "How did I get here?"

"I found you, I tried to get you to the Great Hall for help, but I was attacked. Your parents came just in time," Alice said still trying to shake off the experience.

Lucius looked at her suspiciously, saying, "Her Patronus takes the form of a peacock."

Alice knew the symbolism of it; the albino peacocks at Malfoy Manor have been in their family for generations. Perhaps they thought it came from their son.

Draco smiled at knowing this, then he said proudly, "Mother, father, this is Alice, my girlfriend…" The simple act of declaring this meant so much to both of them, for it was always something they could never say out loud. Then he added, looking back at her, "I owe her my sanity, as well as my life."

Narcissa felt touched by his son's emotional output, "Alice, thank you."

Lucius said nothing as expected, but he was not angry, not then. His family was alive and from the sounds of it, the Dark Lord had fallen. At that moment, all his ideology fell by the wayside.

They walked into the Great Hall together and Alice and Draco held hands without any fear. The celebrations had started, though many were focusing on tending the dead or getting the wounded help. The Malfoys found a place to sit and Alice explained everything she knew had happened, why Harry Potter was able to destroy Voldemort, despite him having possession of the Elder Wand.

"How do you know this?" Lucius asked her.

"It's a long story, father. We'll tell you one day," Draco added, knowing there would be time for that future he dreamt, that no matter what, they would be together.

Despite the celebrations going on around them, they sat unsure of their place in the matter. Several members of the D.A. headed by Luna, walked over and Alice went to greet them. Luna gave her a hug and said with tinge of understanding in her eyes, "So glad everything worked out."

"Aren't you gonna join the celebration Alice?" Seamus Finnigan added behind Luna, "You're missing out."

Alice glanced back again at the Malfoy family. Narcissa smiled warmly at her and Lucius nodded in recognition of her role in helping his son. It was the beginning of their acceptance of her son's relationship. She then looked at Draco, the eyes she knew so well, ones that could search her sole. She replied, "I am celebrating, more than you know."

* * *

It was at this time that she woke from her dream, finding Draco sleeping peacefully beside her. He had spent every night with her that week, not wanting to leave her alone again. She rolled towards him and touched his face with her hand and he slowly stirred, opening his eyes to meet hers.

"Alice?" He said quietly, breaking the silence. His eyes adjusted to look on her; the sun had just started streaming in from the curtains. He placed his hand on her cheek, feeling the remnants of blood that had streamed down from her forehead. "You're hurt."

"It's over," Alice whispered, finding her voice again, "I made it." No matter her body's physical condition, she felt better than ever at that moment.

* * *

The end of the school term was approaching and the visiting students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were already on their way home. There was a farewell celebration in the Great Hall that Alice couldn't attend, since it was scheduled on a Thursday when she lectured at the university. Though she was sad to see the students leave, she was grateful she wouldn't have to worry about encountering Ivar Kramstad, Durmstrang's potions professor, anymore. She also would not be returning to Hogwarts in the spring, since her Muggle Studies course would only be offered every fall. It was bittersweet on the last day of class, knowing it would be some time before she walked those halls either in this reality or in her dreams. The familiarity of its history was now fully realized, as was its education. She felt more like a witch than ever before.

It was Saturday morning and Alice was on her way to Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley to exchange her Hogwarts paycheck from galleons to muggle pounds. She did this every month, much to the chagrin of the goblins who work there. It had gotten less confusing since the first trip, but they seemed painfully aware of her ineptitudes and gave her a hard time just the same.

Alice used her usual route, taking a bus to Charing Cross Road and enjoying a leisurely though chilly walk through the side street that was filled with curious shops and one abandoned store front, The Leakey Cauldron. On this occasion she couldn't help but remember the first time she entered its worn doors, finding a strange anachronistic world of oddly dressed patrons and unusual pub food. It was the first time she saw Draco in the flesh, as she was ambushed by him and Blaise Zabini the day before they brought her into the Ministry. It was this strange world she had always suspected was there, but never realized that the connection she felt to it was so real.

Walking in the door, the thickness of smoke and home cooked food tickled her nose and she fully embraced the warmth coming from the pub's fireplace; it was a needed respite from being on the frigid streets of London.

"Hey Alice!" Neville saw her enter and waved at her.

"Hi Neville," Alice called back; she had newfound respect for the awkward Herbology professor, knowing the valor he displayed during her last year at Hogwarts.

"Sounds like you had pretty busy term," he said as Alice walked over.

"I think that's the way it is for every novice teacher. Hopefully next year it'll be breeze," Alice said amused; busy was quite an understatement.

Hannah stepped out of the kitchen smiling at her, "Alice, why don't you stop and have some tea?"

Thinking this would be nice, Alice agreed to do so on her way back from the bank. "That would be wonderful. I'll stop back after I go to the bank, since I think it closes in half an hour." She was cutting the time close, but she had so many things to do that morning that Diagon Alley got pushed back for last.

"Yeah, you better hurry, those goblins are quite the time keepers," Hannah said shoeing her off.

Alice entered the alleyway from the back of the pub's courtyard entrance, solemnly stepping out into the cold. The store fronts were all decorated for the upcoming Christmas holiday with pine cones and holly, mistletoe and candy canes. While she detested the chill of the winter, she adored the holiday spirit. She took an extra minute or two to look into the shop windows to admire their displays. They were less unusual to her than before, as if she was becoming accustomed to seeing cauldrons, robes and broomsticks on sale. As she continued on, she noticed a strange man staring at her from an up ahead store front. She looked back at him, but she didn't know his face. The next thing she knew, she woke up tied and bound to a chair in a torch lit room that was littered with antique objects, reminding her of the Room of Requirement.

Her eyes searched the space, as she tried to move her body from the bindings, but there was nothing she could do to release them. Her bag was on the floor in front of her with her wand tucked inside. She tried not to panicked, but her heart beat quickened as she thought of the direness of the situation. There was a creaking noise, a door had opened and someone was approaching.

"So she is awake," the man said in a heavy Eastern European accent.

Alice knew the voice, "Kramstad," she said disdainfully.

"You know me well," he replied coming into view.

"You better explain yourself," Alice said angrily.

He scoffed at her, "You are in no position to give orders. But let's just say you're proper payback."

Alice thought at first it might have something to do with Draco's current research, though Kramstad was going far beyond what was necessary for any academic competition. Maybe he suspected Lucius's fallibility; if Lucius was spying on Kramstad for the Ministry, was this revenge?

From her bag came a loud ringing noise that continued with periodic vibration. It was her mobile phone and Alice rightly assumed it was Draco trying to reach her. She had no idea what time it was, or how long she was unconscious.

"What is this?" Kramstad looked at her bag wearily.

"It's an alarm that I set," Alice answered, lying easily, "It's inside my bag, if you want it to stop, you need to open it."

The phone continued to ring and Alice prayed that Draco wouldn't hang up. Kramstad grew suspicious and allowed his assistant, who stood in the shadows behind him, to retrieve it. He pulled out the small device and looked at it hesitantly.

"Open it," Alice said to him; hoping he'd flip open the phone.

It rang again and Kramstad nodded to the assistant to do as she said, hoping the annoying sound would stop. After he did, Alice shouted loudly towards him, "Kramstad! Diagon Alley! Help!" Though she didn't know if that was where she was or if her voice was loud enough to reach the phone's receiver.

Immediately Kramstad put a muffling spell on her and she could no longer use her tongue. He took the phone, hearing Draco speak on the other end, "Alice? Where are you? Speak to me!" he yelled, hoping to hear her voice again.

"Draco?" Kramstad brought the phone to ear.

"Kramstad? Where are you? Where's Alice?" Draco asked strongly.

"Why don't you ask your father," he replied deviously before closing the phone's lid. Afterwards, he levitated the device into the air and used his wand to blast it into pieces; glittering specks of metal slowly cascaded to the ground.

"Very clever," Kramstad said to Alice, waving his hand to allow her to speak again.

Alice's eyes narrowed on him, "What do you want from me?"

"You are unimportant, a simple pawn in a chess game. Now don't try anything when I'm gone or Molsen here will not be so kind," he dictated to her, as his assistant stepped forward and smirked evilly.

Kramstad left the room, leaving her alone with the assistant, a slightly overweight bald man, wearing long black robes and black hiking boots.

Her hands were behind her, bound tightly together with fabric rope though she could still wiggle her fingers. She was not magically bound, which she found odd. Perhaps they thought it was unnecessary for someone like her.

As Molsen watched, Alice closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing energy in her hands. She had never cast a spell without her wand before, but this would be the time to try. She cleared her mind and imagined heat forming in her fingertips.

"What are ya up to?" Molsen asked suspiciously.

But Alice remained focused, telling the energy she was forming to break the bounds that held her.

"Better not make me come over there missy," the man spat, getting anxious by her deep concentration.

Alice felt a piece of rope dangle down and the previous tightness loosened to the point that she could move her hands apart. She looked up at the man and smiled, not showing him what she had just did.

He frowned angrily at her, but remained in his position; his hand clutched a wand by his side. Alice's wand was in her bag, zipped away in the side pocket. She had always placed it there, to avoid having it accidentally drop out when she searched for things in the muggle world. It would be impossible to retrieve, especially since the man stood between her and her purse. There was a possibility of casting another wandless spell to disarm him, though this could quickly prove futile and make her situation a lot worse. Alice meditated, as she did before untying the ropes that bound her.

"Now what're ya doing?" He asked, growing weary of her oddities.

Alice opened her eyes and focused on the wand by his side, she felt the energy building in her hands again. She counted in her head, "One, two…" she quickly brought her one hand forward, mouthing quietly "Expelliarmus!" using her hand as a guide to successfully knock his wand from his hand, much to the man's bewilderment.

"What?" He cried, not expecting her to be unbound or to lose his wand.

"Accio!" Alice cried at the fallen wand, retrieving it in a split second.

"You're not suppose to do that!" He ran towards her but before he reached her, Alice yelled, "Stupefy!" using his own wand to stun him into unconsciousness.

Alice grabbed her bag from the floor, finding her teak wand in the zipped side pocket. She felt relieved by its touch and she thought how unwise it was of Kramstad to leave it there for her. She also placed Molsen's wand in her bag before swinging it over her shoulder.

Everything seemed quiet, so she hoped there was no one outside that heard the previous commotion. Immediately she tried to disapparate, but couldn't. She wondered if she was jinxed, seeing how Kramstad knew this was one of her magical abilities. Creeping to the door, she whispered, "Alohomora," to unlock it. She slowly pushed it open, looking through the crack to see if anyone was nearby. She saw glass cabinets with what looked like antiques inside them, making her think she was inside a curio shop.

Then she heard a bell, which sounded like it was attached to a door. From her position, she couldn't see who entered the shop, but she heard footsteps on the creaky wooden floor moving past her. They stopped.

"Mr. Malfoy, charming," a squeaky voice sounded.

"Borgin, I need information," the smooth voice was Lucius Malfoy's and Alice was about to run out from her position until she heard the door's bell ring again. Someone else had entered the shop.

"Lucius," Ivar Kramstad had returned, greeting Lucius with a slight surprise in his voice.

"You missed our meeting," Lucius replied haughtily.

"Borgin," Kramstad stared at the shop clerk, telling him almost telepathically to leave them. Alice heard the floorboards creak as Borgin again walked past the door she hid behind.

After a moment, Kramstad began speaking, "It's unfortunate Lucius, your inability to maintain some sense of dignity in your status."

"Dignity, I highly doubt we take that to mean the same thing," Lucius replied, annoyed at the suggestion.

Alice heard more footsteps come from the back of the store, where Borgin previously went.

"You see Lucius, we had a good arrangement, one that could have given you some power. But you went ahead and leaked information. That is something I cannot tolerate," Kramstad said arrogantly.

"What is this?" Lucius asked uncertain, noticing that it was no longer just him and Kramstad in the shop.

"You should not have told the Ministry, Lucius," Kramstad said again, "I do not take kindly to disloyalty."

Alice grew slightly panicked; she could only assume they would attack Lucius at any second. She couldn't simply stay there and let it happen, so she slowly opened the door, hoping that it would not creak and give her away. Her wand was clasped tightly in her right hand as she slid her feet slowly across the floor boards.

"So it comes to this?" Lucius said perturbed, "You bring others to attack me, when you cannot do so yourself. And you talk of dignity."

Alice crouched low behind a wooden cabinet; she was several meters from them and still hidden. They were in the front of the shop and she could see them if she peered around the side. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder; spinning around an old man with yellowed teeth grinned at her, his wand pointed at her head. It was Borgin, the shop owner. Alice didn't give herself time to think, as she grabbed his wand clutched hand, pulling it to the side of her. At the same time, she used her own wand to stun him in the ribs. The noise of several objects falling from shelving alerted those in the front of the store.

"What was that?" One of his henchman cried worriedly.

Kramstad yelled at him, "Well go check!"

"You're not quite in control," Lucius added condescendingly.

Alice quietly moved from where Borgin lay, hiding behind another set of cabinet in the corner as the man walked her way.

"Oi, it's Borgin, he's been stunned!" The man yelled back to the front of the store.

"You're not alone," Kramstad said to Lucius, who didn't respond to this accusation, "Who is here with you?"

Alice briefly looked over the cabinet; she could see the man who was now searching in the back room for her. She realized she had left the storage room door open, a mistake that would alert them to her escape. The man moved in that direction.

Then his voice cried, "Oi, Molsen's out too and the girl's gone."

"That's not possible," Kramstad said under his breath, though it was barely audible to Alice.

"What girl?" Lucius asked suspiciously.

As the man returned from the door, Alice aimed her wand and blasted him, but he blocked it. "She's here! She's here!" He yelled to Kramstad.

Alice aimed again, casting the Cruciatus Curse his way, hitting a large vase instead, shattering it to pieces. At the same time, Lucius aimed a blast at Kramstad and they began dueling in the small shop space, raining havoc on the items that were on display. Glass shattered everywhere. Alice focused on the man that she missed, who had started blasting spells at her. She was able to avoid them by maintaining her position behind the shop's multitude of wooden cabinetry. Then Alice remembered Narcissa's spell and she cast the invisible rope from her wand's tip in the man's direction; it wasn't long before he gasped as the rope began strangling him. He fell and Alice moved to the front of the room where Lucius was defending himself from Kramstad and another one of his henchman.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Alice called to him.

Kramstad yelled to his assistant, "Get her!" And the man cast a spell in her direction, but Alice quickly flew herself to the floor, and the blast went over her head. Lucius took a second to stun the man who went after his future daughter-in-law, taking his aim off Kramstad during this time.

Noticing this reprieve, Kramstad went after Alice, apparating to her position and grabbing her by her hair from the floor, knocking her wand out of her hand, and pressing his own wand's tip into her neck. The movement was too quick that Alice had no time to react.

"Don't move, or she dies," Kramstad said evilly to Lucius, who stood motionless with his eyes on the man who now had Alice in a choke hold.

Lucius started to talk sensibly to Kramstad; his hands were raised in a surrendering fashion, though he had not let go of his wand, "Alright Ivar, it's obvious you mean business. Perhaps we can arrange a deal."

Kramstad tightened his chokehold on Alice, suddenly taking her back to a self-defense course she took during university. There was a classic and reliable defense strategy for this, though the wand pressing into her neck was a worry. Looking at Lucius, Alice hoped to display that she needed him to be ready for what she was about to do. He saw this concentrated gaze and returned it with his own slight look of recognition.

Alice went for it, changing leverage by placing her one foot behind his ankle and using her elbow knocking him off balance to the floor. Lucius responded quickly by disarming him, and as he pointed his wand at the shocked and humiliated man lying there, he said proudly, "That'll teach you not to mess with a Malfoy." He cast a binding spell that instantly tied his hands, preventing him from escaping.

"Well done," Lucius said to her, though Alice was already feeling encouraged by previous inclusive remark.

"No, thank you Mr. Malfoy. How did you know I was here?" Alice asked, feeling more relieved by the second.

"I didn't, I only came here for information," Lucius quickly stepped out of the door and blasted a calling signal in the air. "Draco is nearby, as are the Ministry police," he said, and then seeing the unconscious body count, he said, "I'm very impressed, but where exactly did you learn that move?"

"Muggle self-defense course," Alice replied happily, retrieving her wand from nearby. "I doubt Mr. Kramstad expected to be outdone by that."

Seconds later, Ministry officials arrived to arrest Kramstad and his henchmen for their dealings in Dark Magic; Lucius had been a key player in the investigation for years, slowly infiltrating his ranks and leaking information to the Ministry along the way.

Draco and Narcissa also arrived with Blaise Zabini; they were doing all they could to find her.

"Alice," Draco rushed to her, embracing her tightly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, you're father arrived just in time," Alice told him, glad to be back in his arms.

"Actually I have no doubt she would have escaped on her own, more than half of the men are down by her wand work," Lucius said praising her.

Alice smiled, appreciating his compliment, "I had the best teachers," she replied, looking at the three of them.

"Let's get you home dear," Narcissa said in a mothering fashion, as they escorted her back to Malfoy Manor, her new home.

* * *

The wedding would take place on Christmas Eve under a glass canopy set in the beautiful winter landscape of the Malfoy's gardens. Alice's whole family was there, including Uncle George and Aunt Marla, who brought along a whole box of tissues. Alice and Draco invited several of Hogwart's professors, including Neville and Hannah, and Professor Slughorn, who looked ready for the free flowing champagne. Blaise Zabini also attended, grateful to have played a small part in their courtship. Fritz also had a special place up front. The wedding was to be a simple affair, but Narcissa made sure the décor they did select was exquisite. They used only the most seamless magic for the experience, such as the canopy's lighting, which were stationary dots of light that dangled unattached to anything. Though there might be a question or two amongst the muggles in attendance, Alice knew there'd be plenty of time to explain all of it later on. Alice's father tearfully gave her away, and when she went in front of Draco, they immediately intertwined their fingers together as they always did. There was nothing outside of that perfect moment that made sense; her strange journey from being a muggle to a witch, to finding love with the most unexpected person, to rediscovering and changing a past that could have been her own, and finally, being accepted into the most notoriously exclusive families in the wizarding world. All of this started when she wrote a book hinting at an imaginary world. She couldn't help but be thankful to her grandfather, for he was the one who put her on this path where she would ultimately find her happiness.

The End.


End file.
